by Suman Gupta
Mumbai, March 2023: Chelsea FC brought The Famous CFC to Mumbai this weekend, kickstarting a multi-city, global tour by the club. With a view to bring the club closer to its fans in India, the weekend saw the club host multiple events, engaging with a wide range of audiences in the city.
Chelsea legend, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink visited the City of Dreams as part of the tour, and was in attendance for a weekend that kicked-off with a social reception on the 17th of March, which also saw Bollywood actor, Arjun Kapoor, a huge CFC fan himself, in attendance.
Arguably, the highlight of the tour came on the 19th of March, when Jimmy, joined by members of the CFC Foundation, visited Dharavi. They delivered an interactive coaching clinic at the Ekvira Mitra Mandle community centre in the locality.
Ahead of the coaching clinic, foundation Reality Gives took Jimmy around Dharavi, where the Chelsea legend walked around the area to understand some of the key challenges young people face on a daily basis. Jimmy then had an interactive session with 25 young leaders of the community, who have been learning English at the Kamraj Memorial English high school and college in Dharavi, which was facilitated by Reality Gives. During the workshop, Jimmy talked to the young leaders about the challenges he faced in his career and how he overcame them, also sharing experiences from his younger days.
The Dutch legend, then took part in an interactive coaching clinic with 16 to 18-year-old at risk youth from the community, which involved fun games and drills, with Jimmy joining in himself to the end the day on a lighter note.
“The kids here participated with such infectious enthusiasm, it was nice to see them keenly listen to everything the coaches and I had to say during the sessions. I also got a first-hand chance to witness the challenges the kids from the area face on a daily basis in terms of participation in sports, education and basic amenities. It was nice to see them smile during the sessions, as we looked to use the power of sport to make them have fun. I am glad that we were able to meet the children and I hope today’s session will stick with them and inspire them in their future.”, said Hasselbaink after the masterclass in Dharavi on the 19th of March.
Before the community event in Dharavi, the fans took centre stage on the 18th of March, with a Chelsea Supporters Club Football Tournament at St. Andrews Turf in Bandra, with Mumbai CISC emerging victorious, as Hasselbaink watched on. Receiving their awards from the Chelsea legend at the closing ceremony was a dream come true for the teams.
The Dutch icon, who scored 87 goals for the Blues in 177 appearances then attended a special Fan Watch Party in Juhu. The venue was packed by Chelsea supporters, who had gathered to watch the Premier League clash between Chelsea and Everton. The entertaining game ended 2-2, and was a delight to watch as the Blues extended their unbeaten streak to 4 games in all competitions.
Jimmy, while at the screening, talked about his experience of visiting Mumbai, as he said, “It has been an amazing experience since the minute I landed, taking in the culture of the city and India has been very unique and rewarding. Indian Chelsea fans are amazing too, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this game with them, as one of them. The sense of community they have is a sight to behold, and their unrelenting chanting and cheering during the game was a spectacle in itself.”
