~ Ownership transfer to ensure continuity for JFC players and coaching staff ~
Mumbai, August 14, 2026: Tata Steel has agreed to transfer its equity shares in ‘Jamshedpur Football & Sporting Private Limited’ (JFSPL) to Churchill Brothers Football Club for a token consideration. This transfer, made in accordance with All India Football Federation (AIFF) regulations, includes the transfer of the Club’s Indian Super League (ISL) sporting licence, and the transfer of 12 players & 2 coaches.
Tata Steel Limited and Churchill Brothers Football Club signed an agreement to this effect today. Churchill Brothers will take over the contracts of all JFC players and coaching staff with effect from September 2026, offering them the opportunity to continue their professional football careers in the ISL. Churchill Brothers carries close to four decades of footballing legacy in Goa, with two I-League titles and a strong record in Indian domestic football.
D. B. Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said: “Churchill Brothers is a club with real history in Indian football, and we are glad that this agreement gives our players and coaches the opportunity to continue playing club football. We thank AIFF and Churchill Brothers for their partnership in making this transition a smooth one. Tata Steel will continue to focus on football at the grassroots and youth level, given our legacy of identifying and nurturing young talent, especially among local and tribal communities. This includes the Tata Football Academy, which has trained 150 cadets who have represented India and 26 captains of national teams across various age groups. We will continue to maintain and enhance our sporting infrastructure – repurposing it for grassroots football and athlete development. We will be modernising our youth system, investing in and further building its capability in collaboration with the AIFF.”
At Tata Steel, sports is a way of life and forms an integral part of its culture. It is a means of providing opportunities to, and developing talent among local communities, promoting wellness, inclusion, discipline, and excellence. The Company remains firmly committed to its long legacy of developing sports at a grassroots level, expanding access, and strengthening India’s sporting ecosystem. The Tata Football Academy (TFA) was established in 1987 at Jamshedpur and has trained over 300 cadets, 150 of whom have represented the Indian National team. The majority of the Jharkhand boys U-14 and U-16 teams have come through Tata Steel Foundation football training centres, which work with tribal communities. Besides football, Tata Steel also operates world-class sports academies across the disciplines of archery, hockey, sport climbing and rowing. It also organises world-class marathon and chess competitions. The Tata Archery Academy is India’s premier archery institution, having trained over 180+ cadets in 25 years, including 8 Olympians. The Naval Tata Hockey Academy provides elite coaching and high-performance training, nutrition and mental conditioning across 3 regional development and 32 grassroots centres.
