Was the old National Football League better than the current I-League?

The new I-League trophy

Today I ask a somewhat controversial question – was the old National Football League better than the current I-League? I for one fear that I will have to say yes! And here I’ll try to explain to you why.

I still remember the day the inaugural ‘ONGC’ I-League was launched on November 24, 2007 with a Goan derby between Dempo SC and Salgaocar SC. I remember because I was on that day in Johannesburg (South Africa), watched the opening ceremony and the match on a live stream, full of hope like many others for a new future for Indian club football. There was much fanfare with ONGC as title sponsors, Zee Sports packaging the product nicely and AIFF president Praful Patel proclaiming that a new era in Indian football was starting off that day.

The promised better quality product never arrived and the I-League, India’s professional football league, never reached the level it was supposed to. After it replaced the old National Football League, the I-League has, overall, been taking backward steps rather than moving ahead.

I also remember the first season of the National Football League in 1996/97. Those were the days before I was involved in Indian football, I didn’t know what ‘internet’ and ‘e-mail’ was (forget social media), but I happened to be in Kolkata in the winter of 1996/97, and got a first-hand impression of the new NFL both at the grounds and through television.

The NFL idea had come from then FIFA General Secretary Sepp Blatter, who told India to work on a pan-Indian league, start it off semi-professionally and in three to five years’ time, make it fully pro. The first season was envisaged and managed by IMG and it was a football product of unknown quality for Indian football fans.

After the 12 team qualifiers, eight teams played in the home-and-away format, with Philips as title sponsor, UMBRO the kitting partner, and other sponsors, though live coverage was not possible due to uplink issues. Star Sports showed the matches, with Novy Kapadia and the late Noel da Lima Leitao making a great combo as commentators, and the league featuring a star-studded JCT Mills team.

A well organised and managed league with sponsors, a broadcast partner and international management. It had all that you would want, but from year two the Indian-ization set in, as IMG had to leave, and with it sponsors, partners and professional organisation left as well. The NFL could never reach that level again. Therefore the I-League was envisaged, to give the same product under a new name the chance to finally grow into something profitable, and though clubs have come a long way in the last 17 years, the I-League, sadly, cannot compete with the then brand new NFL, which had the right ingredients to take Indian club football to new, unknown heights.

Only time will tell if the I-League can be made a success on all fronts, or if it will have to be renamed once more to attract what is needed to make it a successful, profitable and watchable league. It can be achieved, but a lot of work and effort need to be put into the I-League as an overall product.