Odisha to get its own ISL football club

The Sports and Youth Services Department of government of Odisha and the Delhi Soccer Private Limited (DSPL) on Saturday signed an agreement in the presence of Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik and Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera to launch the Indian Super League (ISL) club -- Odisha FC.

"I congratulate and extend a warm welcome to Odisha FC and Indian Super League. It is a significant development towards the promotion of football in Odisha. I am sure this partnership would inspire our State's footballers to pursue the beautiful game of football with greater commitment," Patnaik said.

As part of the club's operations in Odisha, the club's first team, youth teams, youth football development program and grassroots football development program will be based in the state of Odisha.

The government of Odisha will support the club to relocate to Bhubaneswar by providing world-class infrastructure for the home matches of the team in the ISL and practice facilities, among other support needed by the club for smooth operations in the state.

"It is a matter of pride for us to give the people of Odisha their own club that they can support and stand behind. Development of football in the state is of priority to us. Earlier this week, we received the provisional clearance to host the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup India 2020 in Bhubaneswar," Behera said.

"We are also home to the India U-16 and India U-19 teams as part of our partnership with the All India Football Federation. This project is a significant step in furthering the outreach of football in the state among budding footballers and sports lovers alike," he said.

In the past, the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar has hosted a home game of Jamshedpur FC in the ISL, home games of the team Indian Arrows in the Hero I-league, two editions of the Hero Super Cup and India's first 4 nations international senior tournament - the Hero Gold Cup.