Manchester City, one of the most successful football clubs of the modern era, have partnered with JAIN Sports to launch a new Manchester City Football School in Bengaluru, India. While the partnership expands the club’s global Football Education network into the Indian market, its timing is notable, arriving amid a growing contrast in Indian football between visible popularity and structural uncertainty at the domestic level.
The launch comes at a revealing moment for Indian football. While global attention on the sport continues to grow, reflected in Lionel Messi’s recent visit to India and the country’s sustained engagement with European football, the domestic ecosystem is navigating challenges around continuity and long-term stability. Ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Indian Super League has underlined the gap between football’s popularity and the structures required to support sustained growth. Against this backdrop, Manchester City’s education-led approach through City Football Group points to a longer-term view, prioritising system-building alongside professional involvement via Mumbai City FC.
Under the agreement, JAIN Sports, the high-performance sports division of The JGI Group, will provide infrastructure, academic integration and athlete welfare systems. Manchester City will deliver technical oversight, its coaching curriculum and coach education programmes to support implementation on the ground. The programme will cater to players from the grassroots level upwards, with a focus on balanced development across sporting and academic disciplines.
The collaboration aligns with JAIN Sports’ Long-Term Athlete Development model, which prioritises progressive athlete growth supported by sports science, physical conditioning, performance analysis and rehabilitation resources. The approach is aimed at reducing early burnout and over-specialisation, while supporting sustainable development pathways over accelerated outcomes.
The launch also strengthens City Football Group’s broader footprint in India. CFG already owns Mumbai City FC, the Indian Super League club that has established itself with modern coaching practices, data-led recruitment and a structured operational model. The football school extends CFG’s involvement beyond the professional tier, reinforcing its engagement at the grassroots and education level at a time when long-term stability at the top of the pyramid remains uncertain.
Commenting on the partnership, Jorgina Busquets, Managing Director – Football Education, Recreation & Partner Clubs at City Football Group, said the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to helping young players grow through sport, both on and off the pitch, by combining Manchester City’s coaching expertise with JAIN’s student-athlete development focus.
Dr Chenraj Roychand, Chairman of The JGI Group, said the partnership marks an important milestone in JAIN Sports’ ambition to build a holistic sports ecosystem in India, bringing Manchester City’s youth development expertise and training philosophy into an education-led environment.
The partnership also mirrors a broader trend among elite European clubs, whose global scouting and development strategies increasingly rely on structured grassroots systems, coach education and institutional partnerships across emerging markets. Integrated football education models are becoming central to identifying and nurturing future talent over the long term.
For Manchester City and City Football Group, the football school represents another building block in a long-term commitment to the Indian market. For Indian football, it adds a credible, globally aligned development pathway, reinforcing the idea that while popularity and attention are firmly in place, converting that momentum into sustainable domestic structures remains the sport’s next major challenge.
