Mohali: Minerva Punjab on Thursday announced Cleartrip, one of India’s leading online travel and leisure activities platform as it’s official Travel & Accommodation partner for the upcoming season of the Hero I-League 2017-18. The travel site in it’s one year association with the club will sponsor hotel accommodations for the team in Ludhiana, Kolkata, Kochi, Shillong, Aizawl, Imphal, Goa, Chennai, and New Delhi throughout the league.
Cleartrip Local will also be the exclusive ticketing partner for MPFC for all of its nine home games it was confirmed.
The Chandigarh based club has been India’s most exciting team in the recent times, nurturing the country’s best young talents in it’s academy. Minerva contributed four players to the Indian team in the recently concluded U-17 World Cup and many players from it’s current teams have already made their national debuts across different categories.
Speaking on the partnership, Ankit Rastogi, Vice President – Hotels, Cleartrip said, “Just one year since breaking into the topmost divison of the Indian football league, Minerva Punjab FC has already carved its reputation as one of the most exciting teams in the country. It has a dynamic mix of promising, talented Indian youngsters such as Jeakson Singh, the country’s first goal scorer at the FIFA World Cup, and skilled international players like Toshiya Hosoe and Chencho Gyeltshen. We are delighted to be associating with the club and look forward to playing our part in its meteoric rise on the national stage.”
Cleartrip has for long been associated with different sports such as Rugby among others. But it’s associtaion with Minerva is it’s first in football and talking about it’s new venture, Rastogi added, “Through our partnership with Minerva Punjab FC, which is our first with a football club, we are extending our full support to a dynamic and extremely ambitious bunch of young players.”
It comes as a big achievement for the club that has just two seasons ago made it’s national debut and much of it’s credit goes to Ranjit Bajaj, the CEO of the club.
“Minerva Punjab FC is a brand new team of youngsters looking to make their presence felt and will need all the support, which is why we have partnered with Cleartrip, the foremost name in the country’s travel and hospitality sector. The partnership will not only aid us in our endeavour to shape our talented bunch of youngsters into winners, but will also give us more exposure and visibility in the markets that Cleartrip is operational in. We are confident that, with industry leaders such as Cleartrip in our corner, the youngsters at Minerva Punjab FC can and will make their mark against some of the biggest football stars in the country,” said Bajaj happy with the new sponsor deal.
Meanwhile, Minerva begin their campaign at home against Mohun Bagan in the opening day of the I-League on November 22. They face Neroca FC next on December 1, before playing Indian Arrows in their first away match.