Jamshedpur FC coach Aidy Boothroyd not taking eyes off prize at new club

The Men of Steel lifted the ISL Winners' Shield title last season under previous coach Owen Coyle.

Jamshedpur FC haven’t had the best of starts to the ongoing edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) season. The Aidy Boothroyd-coached side have four points from three games thus far and will hope to continue their momentum after their win over NorthEast United on Sunday.

Aidy Boothroyd joined Khel Now’s ‘Beyond The Scores’ podcast recently. He sat down with host Ashish Negi and had a very candid conversation, talking about Jamshedpur FC. The 51-year-old coach spoke about his role at Jamshedpur FC, Indian Football, and the club’s fans.

This article pertains to Part 3 of the interview, which covers his take on the Tata Football Academy, the AFC Champions League Qualification match, and much more.

Tata Football Academy

Jamshedpur FC head coach Aidy Boothroyd was all praise for the Tata Football Academy (TFA), which is one of the oldest football academies in the country. He also praised the academy for producing the highest percentage of Indian international players in the past.

“I’ve been fortunate that it is less than a mile down the road, so I’ve been to the academy 3-4 times now,” he said. He also spoke about the vision and goals of the Tata Football Academy and their contribution to Indian Football.

AFC Champions League Qualification

Jamshedpur FC won the ISL Winners' Shield during the previous edition of the competition. While that should make them eligible to play in the AFC Champions League (ACL), a change in AFC's calendar means, the Men of Steel will meet this season's ISL Shield winners in a play-off match for a place in next season's ACL group stages.

When asked about his preparations for the AFC Champions League Qualification match, Aidy stated that his current focus is completely on the Indian Super League. The Englishman wanted to focus on ISL 2022-23 and not take his eyes off the prize.

“As excited as I’m about that and about that game, I’ve got to focus on the first game,” Aidy said. “All the teams in the ISL are good teams, they are strong teams and have good coaches. It’s going to be difficult but if we take our eyes off the prize, then we are going to find ourselves in trouble,” he added.

Jamshedpur FC fans

A record total of 22389 fans attended Jamshedpur FC's home match against NorthEast United. With fans back in the stadium after two years of bio-bubble, Aidy Boothroyd said he was excited.

“I’ve had the warmest of welcomes. I am very excited about it and hopefully, we can continue to put smiles on Jamshedpur FC’s fans’ faces,” the Englishmen added.