Oman - You scratch our back we'll scratch yours?

[ZacNaloen]

http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/article ... 56995.aspx?

Howe on links in the greater world

Royals CEO Nigel Howe has again spoken positively about the long-term partnership the club has with the unique Kickworldwide Outreach Programme in Oman.

Passion and ambition for football in the Middle East is always on the rise, and Reading Football Club is delighted to be the partner club for the unique programme.

Along with Director Chris Samuelson, Howe has paid numerous visits to the Arab state this season to strengthen links - while in turn several of Oman representatives recently travelled over to Madejski Stadium.

A number of delegates including Oman FA Chairman Sayyid Khalid al Busaidi, General Secretary Hazzaa al Saadi and Board Director Ahmed Al Habsi (brother of Wigan goalkeeper Ali) were warmly welcomed to the club, given a tour of the facilities and shown a presentation on Reading's recent history and its Community and Academy work.

"Oman and India, which are the two places I've visited in the last month, are all about strengthening our links and our brand links into the greater world," Howe explained.

"If you meet their FA officials, you'd see that they are massively ambitious. They are creating their very own league for the first time. They want to be the best Arab footballing country and therefore they are again trying to develop their infrastructure - their stadiums, training pitches and coaches.

"It's something that we have developed at Reading ourselves; we have our own internal process - how we bring in our young coaches, how we link in with our community scheme, and how we make sure that those all link together to create coaches of the future."

Read more at http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/article ... g9T7yY9.99

[maffff]

Reminds me of the link we set up with Indian team Ernakulam Eagles in April..

KOCHI: I-League second division football club Ernakulam Eagles have tied up with English Premier League (EPL) club Reading FC for a talent hunt programme.

The club was launched in 1956 and has among its members well-known political figures like AK Antony, Vayalar Ravi and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

The two clubs last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under which the famed English club would send coaches and identify players for training at the Madejski Stadium in Reading.

"We have been having discussions with the Reading Football Club authorities for a while and just the other day their chairman Chris Samuelson and CEO of the club Nigel Howe, who was here, have inked an MoU for cooperation with Eagles FC," said club director Shaffi Mather said.

"Currently Eagles FC are playing in the second division and Reading officials have assured that if our club enters the first division, they would pump in money into our club. For the time being, they have agreed to identify young talent from here in the age group around 13 and take at least one of the best to play in the EPL in five years time and that's our dream, now," added Mather, who is a chief economic advisor to the chief minister.

Kerala Football Association president KMI Mather said that the club started with a one-room office near St. Albert's College here. It was soon frequented by then student Congress leaders like Antony, Ravi A.C.Jose (former Congress Lok Sabha member) and Chandy.

"Antony was a badminton player, while Ravi was a complete sports enthusiast and from 1961 onwards all these now famous Congress leaders took upon themselves the responsibility of turning organisers of the club. And in 1965, we staged the Nehru Trophy Football Tournament, which went on for a few years and then it stopped," said Mather, who is also Shaffi's father.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... tball-club

[Wimb]

It's just so, so, so hard to get excited about these things.

It's the equivalent of Reading being twinned with Dusseldorf, it really has such limited impact on the football we watch. I recognise what the club are trying to do and I know you have to start somewhere but there's not enough on the board for my reaction to reading these articles.

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

"Oman and India, which are the two places I've visited in the last month, ....

Oman - beautiful country, lovely people. Well worth a holiday over Dubai, Nigel.....

[Gordons Cumming]

"Oman and India, which are the two places I've visited in the last month, ....

Oman - beautiful country, lovely people. Well worth a holiday over Dubai, Nigel.....

You cynic Great minds........

[Royal Lady]

Hope they "pump money" into our club before concentrating on India or Oman tbph.

[Cypry]

Hope they "pump money" into our club before concentrating on India or Oman tbph.

I know a lot of people refuse to believe it, but they already are "pumping money" into the club...

Look at the money spent on moving towards CAT1 status for the academy - I know for a fact that the new 3G pitch cost a 7 figure sum...

What about the impending purchase of Bearwood, and construction of the new training ground - guess that'll cost peanuts?

[Alexander Litvinenko]

Hope they "pump money" into our club before concentrating on India or Oman tbph.

I know a lot of people refuse to believe it, but they already are "pumping money" into the club...

Look at the money spent on moving towards CAT1 status for the academy - I know for a fact that the new 3G pitch cost a 7 figure sum...

What about the impending purchase of Bearwood, and construction of the new training ground - guess that'll cost peanuts?

No-one's doubting that all of this takes big money. But is that money being "pumped in" - or is it coming from the profit from the PL year?

I'm not saying it's one or the other - all I'm saying is that there's no way we know if any external money is being put in - or has been put in yet. We know that there's an excess of PL money that will find some of it, and we have no idea of where the money for future long-term spending will come from.

[Cypry]

Hope they "pump money" into our club before concentrating on India or Oman tbph.

I know a lot of people refuse to believe it, but they already are "pumping money" into the club...

Look at the money spent on moving towards CAT1 status for the academy - I know for a fact that the new 3G pitch cost a 7 figure sum...

What about the impending purchase of Bearwood, and construction of the new training ground - guess that'll cost peanuts?

No-one's doubting that all of this takes big money. But is that money being "pumped in" - or is it coming from the profit from the PL year?

I'm not saying it's one or the other - all I'm saying is that there's no way we know if any external money is being put in - or has been put in yet. We know that there's an excess of PL money that will find some of it, and we have no idea of where the money for future long-term spending will come from.

TSI paid up SJM on his chairmans loans last year as part of the takeover (in addition to the purchase price of the club), as shown in the accounts - from memory they were nearly £30M, so money is coming in from somewhere....