"Our plan is to develop talented players that can help the club become sustainable" - South United FC CEO Pranav Trehan

Over the past decade, Indian football has experienced consistent growth, with grassroots development playing a pivotal role. Numerous clubs at lower levels have emerged with the goal of nurturing talented individuals who aspire to represent the highest levels of the game.

In particular, Bengaluru has been instrumental in this progression, with the state boasting top-notch facilities, well-organized league structures, and a clear pathway for young players to engage in competitive football. Among the myriad of clubs in Bengaluru, South United FC has certainly distinguished itself since its establishment in 2012.

Their primary objective has been to create a platform for players and coaches to excel, and in their relatively brief history, they have successfully achieved this goal and continue to develop. While South United FC have participated in the I-League 2, they currently compete in the Bengaluru District Football Association's top tier.

The club’s infrastructure is noteworthy, as they have their own stadium in the heart of the city. Emphasizing youth development, the club prioritizes its academy, which boasts over 700 players from across India.

Sportskeeda had the chance to interact with Mr. Pravav Trehan, CEO of South United FC, who shared the club’s vision, which he believes, has always been to add value to Indian football and inspire youngsters throughout the country to embrace the sport.

“The vision was to add value to Indian football eventually,” Pranav Trehan said. “While we achieved that, which is our long-term goal, we have to set up the right standards for running an academy and club, so we can become a case study. For us, the plan is to do things in the right manner and develop talented players that can help the club become sustainable."

South United FC’s objectives extend beyond the academy and overseeing overall club development. They actively collaborate with the community, seeking to engage and potentially discover talents through their initiatives.

Stressing the significance of community involvement in the club, Mr. Trehan emphasizes that it is imperative for every club to do so, as it fosters a vital connection with society.

"It’s not only important, but it’s mandatory to give back to the community. The sport is all about getting the community together. This is how you can get connected at the grassroots level. Supporting and initiating this cause is only helping this sport, and finding youth players," he explained.

"In the process, you can end up scouting a lot of good potential players. In addition to this, you need to build a fanbase and community around your team and all these things will happen if you involve the community," Mr. Trehan added.

Pranav Trehan also delved into a variety of topics, including the team’s success under his leadership, the value of Bengaluru’s structured league systems, the use of data and technology to aid in player scouting, and more.

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Here are the excerpts from Sportskeeda’s interview with South United FC's CEO Mr. Pranav Trehan

Question: When you arrived at the club, what was your vision, and what were you looking at achieving? And how are you looking at that plan now?

Trehan: The vision was to add value to Indian football, eventually. While we achieved that, which is our long-term goal, we have to set up the right standards for running an academy and club, so we can become a case study. A lot of people have very different definitions of an academy and a lack of infrastructure and understanding of what it takes to be an academy.

We need to give importance to how the Western world runs its youth development projects. Our plan is to develop talented players that can help the club become sustainable. Our first flagship project in Bangalore was launched a couple of years ago and we have been extremely successful, as we got a great response from the parents.

We also have good sponsors and built one of the finest infrastructure for a football academy in the country. Now, we are entering multiple cities such as Pune, and we will enter Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai shortly and take over a lot of 11-a-side football grounds.

This is not only to help ourselves but to help other academics who can’t afford to participate. Football will eventually grow only when the competition grows, and as a result, we are focusing on infrastructure and spreading our wings in multiple cities.

Question: Bangalore currently has one of the best local league systems in India, starting from the BDFA Super Division to the Bangalore C division. Does this structured setup and the high level of competition benefit your club in terms of development?

Trehan: Absolutely. The fact that the leagues in Bengaluru are tough and competitive makes us want to improve on a daily basis. It helps not only our club but the sport in the country. A lot of credit certainly has to be given to the Bangalore Football Association and its members.

Football in the state is one of the most competitive in India currently, which motivates the youth to play the game professionally.

Additionally, it has created a lot of jobs for coaches, players, and several others. It’s quite a success story for Bangalore football, and it’s helping all the clubs.

Question: How did the club approach the COVID situation, given every club in the world struggled during that period?

Trehan: Football clubs don’t make a lot of money in India and it’s always been an expense. Fortunately for us, we decided to suspend our team, which helped us in terms of the larger picture. For a football club to be sustainable, you need to do two things.

First, commercially build so many businesses around the ecosystem of the club that you don’t have to spend money from your pocket. Second, you have to build your own talent and eventually reach a point where 80 percent of the first-team players have been from the youth program. You want to build your own structure and culture and don’t want players who just play for money.

Ultimately, we got relegated when we suspended our club. We did not suffer as much monetary loss during that time, but we retained all our coaches and staff and did not let go of anybody.

It was a tough time globally, and in moments like that, if the company cannot support its own, then what’s the point? But overall, it was undoubtedly a tough period for not only football clubs but for every human being.

Question: Where do you think India’s grassroot football stands at the moment? Has it been improved in recent years?

Trehan: If you asked me this question half a decade back, my answer would be different. But in the last five years, the work put in by AIFF, associations, and more importantly the private sector deserves credit.

Private sectors with the help of AIFF are adding huge value and changing the outlook of grassroots football. Reliance, Tata, and several other companies are doing a fantastic job in their own ways.

The level of competitions, the number of playing time for players, and the opportunity to play for state and national levels are happening, with brands offering to sponsor such events is great to see. There is still a lot to develop and pathways to cover, but I think we are heading in a very good direction when it comes to youth football.

Question: I also wanted to ask you about Terry Phelan, who certainly brings a massive wealth of experience to the table. How has it been working with him and in what ways has he contributed to the club’s objectives?

Trehan: Terry (Phelan) has given his life to football. The kind of experience he has lived, and the knowledge he has to share, is unmatchable. It’s a pleasure to work with a person who has a wealth of exposure and know-how of the game. We have learned a lot from him.

He certainly loves India, and it’s like a second home for him. Terry keeps the energy high, ensures our coaches are growing, and the parents are happy, and the kids are having a good time. It’s not only about developing skills on the field, it’s also about developing a culture away from the field, where we are responsible for a major part of their upbringing.

In that process, having a good time is such a key aspect and Terry brings value to these verticals. He is very much a part of us, our vision, and our ideology. He has reached a stage in life where he wants to give back, so for him to be working with us is not about just a job, but he feels our vision is honest and that’s why he continues to be a part of us.

Question: The club won the BDFA ‘A’ division title last season, and the team is currently in the lower half of the BDFA Super division table. How have the performances been this season and are you satisfied with the results?

Trehan: To be honest, we have done decently until now. But I’m not satisfied with the performance and results in the BDFA Super Division league purely because of the kind of resources and set-up we have. I feel we could have done better.

However, every member part of the team tried their best and in that way I’m satisfied. You can only control the commitment, the process, and the efforts, but you can’t control the results. The results could have been better, but it’s a sport and anyone can win on any given day.

Question: I wanted to ask you about the use of data by the club in terms of scouting the players. Are there any innovative technologies or data analytics being employed by the club to recruit the players?

Trehan: We are in the middle of building certain technologies, typing up with a couple of platforms, which help us with a lot of data analysis. We also have our own video analysis team for the senior team, where we assess that, and host trials in different cities. The club has three layers to scouting.

One is we sign marquee players with wages, then we do separate trials for players who have played competitive football and we also have a quota where we give chances to young players from universities who might not have played professional football. We also work with a lot of agents to sign senior players with a track record of playing a certain level of competitive football.

But we also want to change a few things because, three or four years from now, we will have 80 percent of the squad coming out of our youth and elite team.

Question: What is the long-term vision and strategic direction for the football club?

Trehan: As I said earlier, we want to become a case study. The club wants to be the most profitable football organization in India. We have done well in the past year, where we spent quite a lot of money on the first team as compared to most teams in the league.

But none of that came out of our pocket, it came out of our profits and the work that we do. That was a huge achievement for us. Technically speaking, the only way to become sustainable is to have your homegrown talent representing us. There has to be value for the opportunity.

As a whole, it’s a journey and we need to have patience and stick to the plan. It’s a long-term vision where we should not cut corners and ultimately we will get there.