SWOT Analysis of the I-League

After having suffered from obscurity for long, Indian Football association, the AIFF, launched the I-League in the year 2007. The governing body was hopeful that the new league would bring about the required change for Indian football and pave the way for a better future. The league will complete the sixth year of its existence very soon. Whether the league has had a positive effect on Indian football is a question yet to be answered.

It’s time the governing body took a critical review of what has happened so far and how things can be in the future. One good measure of such reviews can be a SWOT analysis. A SWOT helps us analyse the past performance while also giving us guidance for the future. Let us now look at the SWOT analysis of the I-League.

STRENGTHS

When it comes to legacy, the league boasts of some of the oldest clubs in the history of world football. Some of these clubs have been in existence for decades now and thus boast of a very huge fan following.

The League is a professional platform for budding Indian footballers to ply their trade. We have seen many youngsters being lapped up by teams across this league, thus giving them an opportunity to excel professionally.

The influx of foreign players in the league has been good to the league as the quality of the league has improved. The league has many African and South American players at the moment. The league has become more competitive ever since the arrival of these players.

The league has Reliance IMG as its broadcasting partner. The league’s association with the IMG has reaped rewards for the group as the popularity of the league has grown over the years. The presence of such a partner also puts due pressure on the league to perform and live up to the expectations.

WEAKNESSES

The new league was put in place to bring professionalism to the sport in the country. While there has been progress, there hasn’t been adequate progress. The popularity of the league needs to grow. This has been a huge let down for football fans across the country. The league we envisaged as fans and the league we have are poles apart.

The football clubs operate like any other structured organisation and hence there is a need to be financially strong. The financial position of the clubs across the country is not exactly sound. This is a big weakness because the league is still in its nascent stage and it needs to attract decent talent to grow.

The league has not been able to attract decent crowds for most of the games. While we have seen close to a lakh people attend the famous Kolkata derby, these have been the odd occasions. The general attendances have been pretty low. This emphasises the fact that many Indians are yet to follow the league consistently.

The commercial earnings of clubs all over have grown rapidly. The growing belief is that there is no limit for commercial revenues that a club can generate. However, a look at Indian football suggests that the commercial earnings of football clubs across India are not very great. The league attendances are low, generating very low match day income for many clubs. The lack of greater commercial revenue is only adding to the financial misery of these clubs.

At the moment, there is no model for revenue sharing from sale of broadcasting rights. Imagine running a league where you have below average audiences, minimal sponsorship and no broadcast revenue. The lack of financial strength of the league is the biggest weakness of the league. Should the league not modify its ways, the league will be in trouble.

League doesn’t boast of a very good youth structure in place. Very few clubs across India have good youth structure in place. This is probably an outcome of poor financial muscle of clubs across the country. Nevertheless, this remains a weakness of the league because it is not helping in the process of nurturing young talent across the country.

The marketing of the league in the country has been pathetic. The league doesn’t have a strong presence across the country and the marketing team of the league has not done enough to change that. The league needs to be rightly marketed to create some space for itself.

OPPORTUNITIES

The Indian football market is probably the most underperforming market across the globe. There are opportunities galore and should the right steps be taken, the league can garner good following. Certain studies across India suggest that there has been a rapid rise in playing and following football across the country in the past few years. There is market space to tap into.

The league is still in its growth period. A critical analysis followed by the right measures can lead to establishing a successful league. At the moment, the structure of the league can be tinkered with a bit to make it more successful. The question that arises is whether the AIFF is ready to take hard stances with regards to the league.

Every person related to football across the globe is bewildered by the fact that a country of India’s potential lies in the lower echelons of football rankings. The talent available in the country has not been rightly nurtured. Establishing the right structure in the place will benefit the league as well as Indian football on the whole. The talent available, if nurtured, will add quality to the league.

When we talk of football in India, there are certain regions that boast of good following. While many other regions do have some teams vying for a spot in the league, very few of them are considered big. In other words, the teams from these regions can create a market for them. AIFF recently invited bids from interested parties for new teams in the I-League and it was very heartening to know that the bidding parties were looking to operate from Kochi, Bangalore and Mumbai. These parties believe that they can garner local support from these areas that do not boast of a big name in Indian football.

THREATS

The emergence of many localised leagues in India is one of the major threats to the I-League. Leagues such as Calcutta Premier League and Mizoram Premier League are eating up the space that the league hoped to acquire. More importantly, the number of these leagues is many and thus it will require a great deal of effort for Indian football to attract customers.

There has been an increase in number of people following football in the country. However, a lot of this following is reserved for foreign leagues. With the quality of football that exists in this league, it will be a tough ask for the league to bring people to like this league. Moreover, many of these clubs foreign clubs are making plans to enter the Indian market and exploit the market space. While it is good for the country if these clubs play some exhibition matches and open some academies, the league is sure to take a hit.

Today, the league stands at a very crucial juncture. While there are a host of opportunities, the margin for error is very small. It’s time the governing body took the right decisions to improve the conditions of the league and the condition of football in the country.