Delegates of Sheffield United Football Club with the cadets of football excellence centre. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, Aug. 7: Sheffield United Football Club today expressed confidence of a tie-up with the Tata Football Academy soon.

Sheffield United Football Club chief executive Jason Rockett came up with a power-point presentation explaining the benefits the TFA cadets would get after the tie-up. The presentation, which was held at JRD Tata Sports Complex this morning, was based on a five-year plan of the UK club authorities. Senior functionaries of Tata Steel sports department attended the proceedings.

The tie-up with the club will entail an exchange programme wherein the cadets of TFA can play tournaments at European countries. Besides, the deal will also help cadets learn the trick of the game in academies run by the Sheffield United Football Club in China and Hungary. The coaches, too, stand to benefit through the exchange programme. All these details were explained during the power-point presentation.

Chairman of Sheffield United Football Club Kevin McCabe, club’s executive director Michael Farnan and India representative of the club Christine Donaldson Badger came down to visit the football academy.

“The presentation was impressive. The company management will take a decision on the tie-up with the club very soon. The presentation made us understand of the benefits TFA cadets would get if the deal materialises,” a Tata Steel sports department official said.

McCabe said they are upbeat and confident about the tie-up. He added that if both the parties work on a long-term basis, it would enrich the talent of the young footballers of the academy as well as the club. He also inaugurated a football excellence centre at TFA today, before leaving with his team in the afternoon. The Sheffield team on Wednesday visited TFA to take stock of the available facilities and the coaching that the cadets undergo here.