The English Premier League (EPL) has realised that India is a growth market for it in terms of fan following and related issues, though no Indian football player presently features in the premier league.

After having studied the market for some years and tied up with India rights holders, JioStar (previously Viacom18), for long-term engagement, EPL has now announced a country head after establishing an office in Mumbai earlier this year.

Hrishikesh Shende, a former JioStar executive responsible for strategy, acquisition and partnerships, has been named EPL’s new Managing Director for India and he made public his appointment via a social media announcement over the weekend, according to sportcal.com website. (https://www.sportcal.com/news/premier-league-appoints-jiostars-shende-to-head-up-indian-office/?cf-view)

Shende, according to media reports, has more sporting connections in the form of his association as the COO of IPL franchise Lucknow SuperGiants for a year, apart from doing a stellar stint at the Indian operations of sports apparel giant Adidas.

In a LinkedIn post, Shende said, “”I am looking forward to collaborating with colleagues and partners to continue to drive forward the League’s commitment to developing football in India, and strengthening relationships with clubs, partners, stakeholders, and the millions of passionate fans.”

Meanwhile, in April EPL had announced setting up a Mumbai office to support engagement with fans and growth of the Premier League and its clubs in India.

The new office, according to an April-issued press release by EPL, will build on the Premier League’s long standing work to engage local fans and partners and promote football in India, while supporting the continued growth of the league and its clubs.

“The Premier League has a long history of working in India to engage its millions of passionate fans and football communities. At a grassroots level, the League has been running its Premier Skills programme in partnership with the British Council to support the development of the community football workforce since 2007,” the EPL media statement added.

Over the past 18 years, the programme has been delivered in more than 18 Indian states, supporting more than 7,300 coaches, referees and educators, benefiting 124,000 young people.

At an elite level, the Premier League has been also working closely with the Indian Super League (ISL) since 2014, which has seen the Premier League share knowledge and expertise across all areas of the elite game, including governance, youth, coach and referee development.

In 2019, the Premier League had launched the Next Gen Cup — an elite international youth tournament organised in collaboration with the ISL and reliance Foundation to support the development of youth talent. The sixth edition of the tournament took place in Mumbai in May