BVB Comes To Kerala: Borussia Dortmund, Muthoot FA Partner Up For Youth Football Development

Last Updated:May 27, 2025, 19:36 IST

German football giants Borussia Dortmund have joined hands with Muthoot Pappachan Group to reshape grassroots football in Kerala.

L-R: Hannah Muthoot - Director of Muthoot Sports, Thomas Muthoot - Director of Muthoot Pappachan Group, Christian Diercks - Managing Director of BVB Football Academy & Verena Leidinger, Senior Manager- BVB SEA

Seems like Kerala might not just herald the might of the Manjappadai, but that of the Black and Yellow as well, as Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund are set to bring their influence and experience to God’s Own Country.

BVB and Muthoot Pappachan Group’s sports wing, Muthoot Pappachan Centre of Excellence in Sports (MPCES), formally signed an MoU to launch a long-term, strategic youth development programme in Kerala.

The initiative aims to nurture talent, instill life skills, and foster opportunity for thousands of young athletes, especially in underserved communities.

“Actually, we as a football club feel that it’s a perfect fit with Muthoot Group. Why? Because we very much feel that it is the right time to not only think about just setting up the football academies, but really see the bigger picture," stated Christian Diercks, Managing Director of the BVB Football Academy, in an exclusive talk with News18 Sports.

“The bigger picture would be basically be to look at the whole ecosystem as such, to look at the the club structure in Kerala, to look at where kids move, when do they start practicing sports, what are the challenges when kids don’t practice sports, What is the qualification level of coaches, instructors, PE teachers and so on?"

“So, it’s rather like working together with Muthoot to change the whole system and the structure adapted, improve it, and make it a good future-oriented model for the next 10 years," Diercks concluded.

As one of the largest and most successful football clubs in Germany, BVB’s focus has always been on scouting and nurturing talent, having produced some of the biggest names in international football, such as Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski, and Jude Bellingham as a result.

“On one hand, we were very much interested in Kerala due to the fact that it’s a very football-oriented state. Many kids here play football, and they’re very eager to play," he added.

“On the other hand, we also found out that we were quite shocked to find out that kids start practicing sports at a very late stage. So, they go to sports clubs when they are older than 10 years of age, which is too old. Some kids don’t go outside to the playground. So, this is something we definitely want to change together."

The long-term strategic partnership outlines a structured and holistic development model that will provide players and coaches with world-class training methodologies, talent identification systems, and access to Borussia Dortmund’s global knowledge base.

Hannah Muthoot, Director of Sports at MPG, also emphasized the need for institutional change rather than just surface-level involvement, and the role that private conglomerates could play in influencing and bringing about the change.

“I do not think it’s the fact that we need to just develop skill set, but it’s more of a mindset and institutional shift. We thought the best solution was always at the top level," Hannah stated.

“If we can produce the best academy in terms of amazing facilities, and give the best training for X number of students, then you know you can one day have just the next set of amazing footballers. But. I think we were trying to solve a very, very, very small piece of that puzzle."

Since its inception in 2017, the Muthoot Football Academy has championed inclusive, community-rooted sports initiatives with measurable impact and has already demonstrated success with its U17 team, crowned champions of the Elite Kerala Premier League 2024–25.

The current partnership with BVB also opens potential pathways for Indian talent to possibly train in Germany and be part of BVB’s extensive network of academies across the world.

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