The Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 season will see a new club in the form of Hyderabad FC enter the highly competitive arena of India’s premier football competition. The city, from which the club hails, boasts a rich footballing culture which is deeply embedded in all sections of the metropolis.

In a recent interview with indiansuperleague.com, Hyderabad FC co-owners, Vijay Madduri and Varun Tripuraneni expressed their desire to tap into the city’s rich footballing heritage and use it to develop the sport in the region and provide opportunities to hungry youngsters. Here are the excerpts:

Q: On Hyderabad FC's inception, ethos, values and what it stands for.

Vijay Madduri: I think it is a very exciting time because a lot of people, including myself, used to ask how come we don't have a professional football team in Hyderabad. It is a very big market, a very exciting market. My own kids asked me ‘how come we have to watch foreign leagues but don't have a local team here’. So, it is very exciting and what we want to do is really build a strong bond with the fans and bring excitement to the city. There is a lot of talent in the two Telugu states as well, where we can groom a lot of young talent and get them into the big leagues. So very excited and looking forward to it.

Varun Tripuraneni: I think also as Vijay was saying there is a lot of talent in the city and the football culture has always been there. Hyderabad has had a great history in football. We were dominating Indian Football in the fifties and sixties and I think there was a time when there were a number of players in the national team from Hyderabad. So, I think the potential is immense and we are looking forward to an exciting season.

Q: On your journey of becoming a team owner in Hero ISL.

Varun Tripuraneni: It's been an amazing five years for me. I would say the Hero ISL has been everything for me in the last five years. I have had opportunities to work with amazing owners Abhishek (Bachchan) and Vita (Dani) ma'am from Chennaiyin FC and (Nimmagadda) Prasad and Chiranjeevi at Kerala Blasters FC. A great learning experience for the last five years. As I said its been pretty much only the Hero ISL and it doesn't feel too different actually being team owner but I just feel its back to the grind. The same familiarity with the league is there and I think it is just going to help, in getting a new franchise off the ground.

Q: What can fans expect from Hyderabad FC?

Vijay Madduri: When I look at myself, I feel I am as much a fan as I am an owner. So, keeping the fans in the mix of things in terms of creating the energy, the feeling of community for the fans and the fan experience, that's what we want to give. Hyderabad is a city with very good infrastructure and facilities. So, we want to make sure that they get the best experience of getting into the stadium, cheering for the team and feeling that they are part of the action. So, obviously, we want the team to do really well like any other team. That is how we want to create that community. And we would also like to pick up a brand ambassador for the team that would help us build that energy.

Q: A word on the team's recruitment strategy for Hero ISL 2019-20 season.

Varun Tripuraneni: You know, there has been quite a bit of work which has been going on. We want to play an exciting brand of football. Fans want to watch good football, a lot of goals. Being a new franchise, it is important to have that on-field success. We will have a team which will compete with the best in the league and the semi-finals is obviously a big target. But we would give our best and hopefully win the title.

Hyderabad FC will kickstart their Hero ISL venture with an away match against two-time champions ATK on October 25. The team will play its first home match against Kerala Blasters on November 2.