Former England goalkeeper David James to participate in ISL

Former England World Cupper David James has expressed his desire to participate in the upcoming Indian Super League.

This has been made possible due to a tie up between Anglian Holdings and Legion Football Advisory, the representatives of James. Legion Football Advisory is the leading football advisory firm based in the UK having worked with The FA, as well as clubs like Manchester United FC, Manchester City FC, Liverpool FC, and Fulham FC.

They have represented over 100 professional players including Phil Jones, Theo Walcott, Fabrice Muamba, Ryan Bertrand, and David James. They have also worked with world-renowned coaches and technical directors such as ex-England national team coach Steve McClaren and Eduardo Macia of AS Fiorentina.

The press release states that under the partnership, Anglian, who are also the co-owners of the Guwahati ISL franchise, and Legion will work together to help advice ISL and I-League clubs as well as work with players, coaches, organizational staff and other business entities that happen to be involved in the sport.

Besides featuring in the ISL, James wants to help build up Indian football by providing his expertise and knowledge to current national team players as well as to up-and-coming goalkeepers.

The former goalkeeper certainly qualifies as a marquee foreigner but it remains to be seen which ISL franchise he plays for as there is interest outside the Guwahati franchise also.

Dhruv Ratra, CEO, Anglian Holdings says, “We have been working towards the development of Indian football by creating a pipeline for exchange of talent between India and Europe and are very excited regarding this new initiative with Legion which we hope will infuse European Footballing expertise into India. Legion has a proven track-record in working with multiple organizations and people to raise the standard of the sport, first in the UK and then across Europe. Their inside knowledge of the sport from youth to the professional game as well as their established relationships will prove invaluable to clubs and players in India, which are only just starting to professionalize operations.”

Colin Gordon, Director of Legion, had this to say: “We are very proud and happy with our new partnership with Anglian. Having been intimately connected with the recent revolution and professionalization of the sport in the UK over the past 20 years and then in Europe, we are excited to put our experiences to good use in a country such as India which is on the cusp of reaching a new level.

Fellow Director, John Colquhoun added, ‘With the I-League going from strength to strength, the new and exciting ISL set to begin later this year, and the Under 17 World Cup coming to the country in 2017, India is poised to improve its game significantly over the next few years. In Anglian we found the perfect partner to achieve our goals of connecting and working with Indian entities who are committed to the success of the sport.”