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The Kalyani Group on Sunday launched their football club named “Bharat FC”. The Group unveiled the name and philosophy of its football club and launched the club-crest during a press conference at the city’s JW Marriot. The unveiling of the name and the club-crest was done by Amit Kalyani, Executive Director Kalyani Group, Kunal Agarwal, Director Bharat FC along with Stuart Watkiss and Stanly Rozario, the head-coach and assistant coach of Bharat FC respectively.
The club crest celebrates the spirit of People’s Club featuring the iconic India Gate monument with a majestic lion striding powerfully through it and a football graphically developed to show people standing in a huddle. All of this coming together to be part of a royal shield impressively forming the club crest in striking red and blue colours.
Elaborating on the Philosophy of the team, Amit Kalyani said that, “The very ethos of Bharat FC is rooted in being a People’s Club. It is India’s Club based in Pune. And this philosophy is instrumental in giving its elements to the club-crest and its baseline “Together. Forever. Triumphant.” He added that “Though we are the Puneri team, the idea of spreading the magic and joy of football all through our country was foremost on our minds. Bharat FC aims not just to be Pune’s favourite team but one that all of India can identify with and follow.”
Talking about the way forward, Amit Kalyani, added that, “We will focus on all aspects of football and going forward we will look at further enhancing the youth development and grass root programs. We are looking at bringing talent from India and abroad and adopt best practices for building a strong foundation for Bharat FC.”
Stuart Watkiss, who has been appointed as head-coach of the team, said that it was the Kalyani Group’s pursuit of excellence that drew him towards the club. “We look to promote excellence and a deep sense of commitment on the football pitch. These two values are very close to the Kalyani Group’s heart and we hope to translate the same on the pitch. Building a club from scratch, assembling a competitive team, playing attractive and effective football are our current goals and we will be going all out to achieve them,” he said.
Kunal Agarwal, Director Bharat FC, said that the chance to construct an ultra-professional football club, one able to hold its own with the best in Asia was the clinching factor behind him coming on board. “Raising the bar for football clubs in India is something that has always been a passion for me. A well-managed, professional club can offer a lot of benefits for society as a whole apart from serving as a catalyst for the growth of the standard of football in India. I believe that Bharat FC gives us the opportunity to build a family that would strive to deliver a lot more beyond football to the entire community so everyone can share the success,” he said.
Bharat FC will start its games with the I-League slated to start in January 2015. Bharat FC will be playing its home games at Balewadi stadium in Pune.
Logo Philosophy
The club-crest has iconic India Gate monument representing the knowledge, sacrifice and wisdom that has gone into making India the glorious and diverse country that it is. The India Gate is crowned by a football that has been graphically developed to show people standing in a huddle, symbolizing the unity and teamwork that will be the cornerstones of Bharat FC. The lion beneath India Gate has been integrated to symbolize the courage, grace and athleticism which will be the hallmarks of the team. All the three elements have been contained within a royal shield which signifies the resolve and steadfastness of the football club as well as the Kalyani Group.
The primary colours in the club-crest of Bharat FC are red and blue. Red signifies passion, activity and a vigorous impatience to move forward all the time. Blue epitomizes truth and loyalty, two qualities that have always been a very integral part of the Kalyani Group’s philosophy and will be important pillars in Bharat FC as well.
