© ISLMumbai City Football Club kicked off its odyssey in the teeming city of 20 million inhabitants at a high-profile launch in the city today. Doing the honours were team owners Ranbir Kapoor and Bimal Parekh in the presence of Nita Ambani and Rishi Kapoor with the media in attendance. Also present at the event were the Indian footballers picked up by the team at the domestic player draft and German star-signing Manuel Friedrich.The club also announced that they would play their home games at the D Y Patil Stadium instead of the famous Cooperage ground, explaining that the larger stadium capacity as well as the natural turf at the Navi Mumbai ground prompted their choice of venue. While announcing that the club coach had now been finalized, Ranbir said that the announcement would only be made on September 6.The event began with initial words from the owners, followed by veteran Bollywood actor and Ranbir’s father Rishi Kapoor, as well as Nita Ambani, who reiterated the Hero Indian Super League’s commitment to grassroots football.Following a short video featuring snapshots from around the city of Mumbai, the official Mumbai City FC logo was launched. The logo pays homage to the original seven islands that formed Mumbai, in the form of seven stars, while the main feature in the logo is a coach of Mumbai’s local train, whose rhythmic sounds, according to Ranbir, represent “the heartbeat of the city”.We have been a sleeping giant for too long. We have to awaken nowRanbir Kapoor, Co-owner, Mumbai City FCWhen quizzed about his allegiance to Spanish giants FC Barcelona at the media interaction that followed, Ranbir went on to explain, “Mumbai will have its own super club now; a team that 20 million Mumbaikars will call their own. We will produce our own Messis, and maybe we will see Barca come calling for our players in the future!”The Bollywood star also reaffirmed his commitment to the team, insisting that he wasn’t merely the ‘face’ of the club. “I am investing both time and money into this club. I will try attending all the games, as many as I can,” he reiterated.Nishant Mehra, Mumbai City FC’s Technical Director of Football, stressed that grassroots football was very much in the team’s plans, with the club already in touch with 100 schools. The club has the ambitious goal of reaching out to 1.5 lakh children in the first season. “Our aim is to inspire the youth of Mumbai by playing dynamic football,” he added.While much of the event centred on Mumbai, Ranbir also spoke about his passion for Indian football in general, and remarked that it was high time Indian football stepped up and got noticed on the international stage. “We have been a sleeping giant for too long. We have to awaken now,” he stated.The launch of Mumbai City FC should provide a serious boost to that ambition.