Jamshedpur: Making their Indian Super League (ISL) debut, the Tata Steel-owned Jamshedpur FC (JFC) contingent moved into their plush new apartment in Kadma on Sunday.
The apartment and the official team bus was unveiled on Sunday by JFC chairman and Tata Steel vice-president (corporate services) Sunil Bhaskaran and team coach Steve Coppell amid cheers from the team which reached the city from Delhi via Ranchi.
The G-3 apartment, at a stone's throw from Kadma thana and 500 metres from Tata Football Academy, which earlier used to be Tata Steel's accommodation for its graduate trainees, has been fully refurbished to make the stay of 32 members - players, technical and support staff - comfortable. Twenty-two players, four technical staff, including coach Coppell and goalkeeping coach Robert 'Bobby' Mimms, and six support staff of the franchise would stay in the apartment till March 2018.
The apartment has 38 air-conditioned rooms equipped with LED TVs, dining hall, recreation space with table tennis, video games, carom, a gymnasium, a massage corner and a cafe lounge. It is surrounded by manicured lawns.
Since October 1, the JFC team, including the likes of Sameehg Doutie, Anas Idathodika, Robing Gurung stayed at Hotel Sonnet whenever they were in Jamshedpur, as this apartment was being remodelled.
"We kept the comfort of players in mind before the apartment was remodelled. It has all modern facilities. It is good that Tata Football Academy, their practice venue, is less than a kilometre from the apartment," a JFC official said.
The Jamshedpur outfit has so far played two ISL matches against NorthEast United FC (in Guwahati on November 18) and Kerala Blasters FC (in Kochi on November 24). JFC has two points in its kitty as both the encounters ended in goalless draws.
The team will resume practice from Monday and continue till the day before the marquee clash against defending champions Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) at JRD Tata Sports Complex on December 1. The Calcutta team will reach the steel city on November 29 and practise at the TFA greens the following day.
What should the JFC team focus on before December 1? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
