Overview

• Keir Starmer visited Mumbai’s Cooperage Football Ground on Oct. 8, meeting young players and coaches during a Premier League Community Showcase on his first trip to India since becoming prime minister.
• Former England striker Michael Owen joined the visit and emphasized that developing well-trained coaches is essential to growing the game at youth level.
• The Premier League Trophy was displayed at the ground as Starmer and Owen interacted with participants, including youngsters from the Oxford Foundation.
• A three-day Community Coach Development Programme in Mumbai trained 30 community coaches with support from Premier League, Brentford and Newcastle United staff, culminating in sessions with 80 children from the Oscar Foundation.
• The showcase followed the league’s week-long Fan Week and comes after the opening of its Mumbai office earlier this year as part of a long-running partnership with the British Council to expand access to football in India.