AMM FOUNDATION, the philanthropic arm of Indian business conglomerate the Murugappa Group, sees football, the most popular sport in the world, as a spark that can ignite social change.
“The dream was also to try and bring BVB to India in some capacity. Many discussions followed and most importantly, the stars aligned,” said Veeru Muruggapan, head of Sport, AMM Foundation.
A team from BVB visited MYFA in Chennai in February for a three-day preliminary camp.
Starting July, the foundation is set to become the official Indian youth development partner with one of Europe’s biggest football clubs, Borussia Dortmund (BVB), a media release said.
The team-up, which also involves the Murugappa Youth Football Academy (MYFA), looks to benefit from the German club’s extensive expertise and know-how in the areas of academy and youth football, grassroots to player development, coaches’ training, organisational planning and long-term infrastructure development.
Both partners have the mutual goal of widening the positive impact on the lives of youth through football. AMM Foundation has been running their football academy since 2015 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and, with BVB’s help, is set to expand MYFA holistically across India in the coming years.
“At MYFA and the AMM Foundation, our endeavour has always been to use sport as a vehicle for social change and social inclusion. In BVB, we find a like-minded partner who resonates with that goal, and we are certain that together we will improve the lives of not only the footballers but the coaches as well,” said MM Murugappan, Member, Board of Trustees, AMM Foundation and Former Executive Chairman, Murugappa Group.
