John Abraham is gearing up to start a football academy in the city with the help of footballer Bhaichung Bhutia.

The two have decided to try to reduce the bureaucracy that stifles the game's development in the world level and help more Indians interested in football to take to the game.

They have already applied for the requisite permissions and are hoping they will be sanctioned soon.

John is not the first B-town movie star to venture into sports. Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra have a stake in the Indian Premiere League (IPL) team and have plans to start a Football Premier League. Preity Zinta, Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla also have stakes in IPL.