Indian goalkeeper Subrata Paul will be going back to his roots as he joins Jamshedpur FC (JFC) for the upcoming Hero Indian Super League (ISL) season. The league newcomers, who are owned by the Tata Group, have mostly gone for ISL-experienced players for their debut campaign with Paul being one of them. For the 30-year-old evergreen custodian, it all began at the famed Tata Football Academy (TFA). indiansuperleague.com caught up with the Bengal-born player who took a trip down the memory lane and also shared his thoughts ahead of the new season.Paul was delighted at reuniting with his old academy roots. When asked how he felt being part of the TFA once again, he pointed out that they were the ones responsible for how his career has progressed.“I feel ecstatic to be a part of the Tata Football Academy and Jamshedpur FC,” he enthused. “It’s more of a homecoming for me. I have travelled around the country and the world with different clubs, and also the national team. But the TFA is where it all started.”Paul further said, “I joined the TFA as a young aspiring footballer and the academy has helped me tremendously in shaping my career. I learned so much from the TFA not only on the pitch, but off it as well. Whatever I have achieved in my footballing career, the credit goes to the TFA. Without their help and guidance, it would have been impossible for me to be where I am today. Now, I feel like I have completed a full circle professionally and am really looking forward to step on the pitch for Jamshedpur FC.”He also elaborated as to how the academy ingrained the competitive spirit in him which is present even to this day.“The TFA is renowned for producing some of the best footballers in the country. So, you can imagine the competition we faced within the academy where everyone is striving to be the best. The fierce competition helped me become competitive wherever I went. After so many years in the game, I still feel the burning desire to give a 100%, whether I am training or playing a competitive match. It is definitely a massive part of my career that I acquired early on thanks to the TFA.”Jamshedpur FC are one of the two ISL debutants this year, but Paul is hopeful that the team will gel well as the league progresses.“We have signed some really good players and have a good mix of youth and experience in our squad. But finding the right team chemistry could be tricky. However, once we gel together as a team I think we can be competitive in the tournament. We do lack the experience playing in such a massive league, but I feel it can work to our advantage as we are an unknown entity in the tournament, and on our day, we can surprise some of the giants in the league,” he said confidently.The goalkeeper, who donned NorthEast United FC colours in ISL Season 3, also explained that the Tatas have one of the best training facilities in India.“We have one of the best training facilities among all the other franchises,” he revealed. “The Tata Group is one of the pioneers in developing sport in India and they have been persistently doing it for 20 odd years. Therefore, it’s safe to say that they know how to build a successful and self-sustaining sporting franchise.”Jamshedpur FC have opted for experience ahead of their first ISL season. How does Paul view this strategy?“The experienced players would bring their calmness and experience to the squad. We have some great youngsters who can learn a lot from the experienced lot. Every team needs a balance of aggression and experience to make it work and I think we have the right mix of players.”Paul also credited the ISL as the reason for improvement of football in India.“According to me, the ISL has revolutionized Indian football since its inception in 2014. India is currently ranked 97 in the latest FIFA rankings, which is a gigantic leap if you compare where we were two years ago. The ISL’s success had a trickle-down effect on the whole footballing scenario in India. We had some legends of the sport playing in the league which helped our local players develop rapidly. In short, the ISL has done exactly what it was supposed to do.”Besides a significant rise in fan following, the ISL this year sees a refreshed format and rules this time around. Will that have an impact?“The number of fans has increased and we have a major fan following of teams from every corner of the nation which was previously unheard of,” Paul shared. “The number of teams has also increased which means we will have a longer season. The Indian player quota has also increased which means from this season, six local players have to be named in the starting XI. The change has been welcomed in the footballing fraternity as it will encourage players of Indian nationality.”Finally, the custodian also admitted that this format of a longer league was something he was eagerly awaiting.“We are really looking forward to it. Personally, I always wanted to play in a league where the season would last for 10 months. We now have a league where we will be playing for five months rather than three. In the future, I would like to see 18-20 teams in the ISL, emulating top leagues from around the world. It is necessary to have a proper footballing calendar, where players are engaged for a longer time. The national team would also benefit from this change. With more Indian players in the league, the national team coach would have more options to choose from and the players would be in better shape both physically and mentally.”
