Five ways ISL has resurrected Indian Football

Football has been a very popular sport among the Indian youth. However, Football in India never came into the limelight. Unlike Cricket, it didn’t get the opportunity to surge at a big level. But the recent developments in the scene of Indian Football have resurrected the hopes of Football aficionados in India. India hosted the U-17 World Cup. For the first time, India hosted a FIFA tournament, which witnessed a mass attendance of 1,347,133 fans, creating a milestone of being the most attended in the history of the tournament. In addition, the introduction of the Indian Super League (ISL) in 2013 played a major role in bringing Indian Football back to life.

Indian Super League (ISL) was started in 2013 and consists of 10 teams from nine different states of India, including players from other parts of the world. It was set up in order to develop Football as a top sport in India and also to increase the popularity of the sport worldwide. Since its beginning, ISL has proved to be a key factor in the evolution of Indian Football on the global level.

According to the western media, it has become the third largest league in the world. Indian Super League (ISL) has conducted three successful seasons and the fourth one is already on. The teams have expanded from eight to ten this season.

Let’s take a look at how ISL shaped up the way for the India Football Scene.

#1 Role of a Catalyst

Kerala Blasters FC fans cheering for their team during a match against Northeast United FC (Photo: ISL)

Indian Super League played a role of catalyst in popularizing the sport across the country. It witnessed a great response from the audience as well. In addition, Star Sports, which is also one of the sponsors, is the official broadcaster of the league. Currently, Star Sports is broadcasting ISL in five languages and through eight channels to the different audiences all over India.

Indian Super League (ISL) average attendance of the three seasons has been approx. 22,000. The league is also giving competition to other major football leagues in terms of attendance.

#2 Incorporation of the foreign players

Players in action during the match. (Photo: ISL)

Incorporation of the foreign players and coaches led to the development of the Indian footballers, as they got to learn about different skills and strategies. In addition, playing alongside prominent footballers like Luis Garcia, strengthened the morale of the domestic players. It has also resulted in better learning and understanding of the game of Indian players.

Indian Super League (ISL) has created an opportunity for the domestic players to rub elbows with experienced players. 48 foreign players, bought by different franchises, have been included in the fourth season of the league.

#3 Grass root development scheme

Kids practising at FC Goa's Scouting Festival for Reliance Foundation Young Champs. (Photo: RFYC)

With the introduction of the grass root development programs, it has created a platform for the football to grow in India from the school level. The aim of the program is to reach maximum children through different initiatives for the development of their skills. It is a great avenue for the children to nourish their skills and understanding of the game.

Reliance Foundation launched an initiative Reliance Foundation Young Champs. The vision of the initiative is to provide a world-class platform for the development of youth talent, combining football excellence with a good all-round education.

#4 Revenue

Nita Ambani posing with the owners of different clubs. (Photo: ISL)

Indian Super League (ISL) is generating good revenue each year. More and more people are starting to invest money in the sport because of the popularity it has earned. Indian Super League is partially owned by IMG-Reliance. Famous personalities like Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar are the major stakeholders of the league.

#5 Interest from the foreign clubs

Robin Singh

It led to the attraction of interest by the foreign clubs. Clubs from the various big leagues like La Liga, have shown interest among Indian Players. Romeo Fernandes, Mander Rao Desai, Robin Singh, were among the main players who got the opportunities to go abroad for training and playing for different clubs.

Indian Super League vision is to make India a football power by 2026 and its initial stages have already been successful. However, a lot of hard work and development is yet to be achieved in order to emerge as a football power on the global level. The revenue generated from the league must be used in development and certain measures like providing good infrastructure, building training academies in different regions like villages, uplifting of the players from the domestic areas should be done.

My take on the whole scenario is that the AIFF should also take necessary steps and work together with the ISL authority in order to uplift Football in India.