Things to be done for the growth of football in Bangalore

Football is one of the most popular sports in Bangalore. But why is it that only 20 to 30% of the Bangalore football stadium gets filled for Super Division and I-League matches? And many don’t even know that there is a separate stadium for football in Bangalore. There is no football club from our city in the top most football league in our country, I-League. Here, in this article, we try to analyse some of the problems for the current state of football and the possible solutions to these problems.

Now, let’s compare the Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) with a company. A company can grow and make profits only if it is managed properly by an efficient management. Individuals are selected to this management only when they meet certain eligibility criteria, are educationally qualified people and have good experience in their respective field of work. Now, when we take KSFA into consideration the first doubt which can arise is, does KSFA have a so called ‘Managament’? If yes, is this management efficient enough to grow and develop the game of football in Bangalore? Do the individuals in the management know what ‘football’ is and do they have good experience in administration of a football body? People who closely follow local football in Bangalore will know the answers to all the above questions and I am sure that they will agree with me in declaring that KSFA is managed by an inefficient bunch of individuals. It’s high time that these individuals themselves quit from all the posts they occupy or at least consult experts of other state football federations in taking key decisions.

Bangalore Football stadium is one of the best in the country when it comes to the quality of ‘turf’. But when it comes to the overall rating of a stadium, it’s one of the worst in our country. Leaving aside the playing turf, everything is in bad and damaged condition.

- The toilets are not properly maintained.- There is no proper seating for the spectators.- 60 % of the gallery doesn’t have the roof.- There is no media box.- There is no good sound system (speakers) for announcements.- There is no drinking water facility for the spectators.- And the dressing rooms don’t even look like a dressing room. It’s almost like a store room.- No enough security or policeman to control the crowd.

The chairs put up in the gallery for the spectators to sit are in terrible condition. It’s all dirty and messed up. This has forced all the people going to the stadium to carry newspapers with them, not for reading but to clean the chairs or to place it above the chairs to sit peacefully. The music played during the half time and the announcements made are a reason for the spectators to have a good laugh at. Either it doesn’t sound like music because of the quality of speakers, or it’s too old for the new generation.

Another aspect to be considered by the KSFA will be to bring in more crowds to the stadium for matches. But this can be only dreamt after the above mentioned problems are solved. It’s high time for the KSFA to enter into contracts with event management companies. This will reduce the burden of the KSFA since these event management companies should also be given the added responsibility of creating hype for the tournaments and also to bring in more crowd of all age categories and all different income groups of people. Once KSFA agrees to pay certain percentage of all incomes and revenues received from leagues/tournaments to these companies, they will be motivated to bring in more sponsors to the game and also more crowds.

But there are things for which KSFA has to be appreciated as well. The health and medical care in the stadium has really improved. The death of a footballer last year in the Bangalore stadium has forced the KSFA to improve the medical facilities in the stadium. There are ambulances present for every match and there are also doctors present in the stadium for every match.

Some suggestions for the KSFA from Bangalore sportz are as follows:

- Bring in a digital scoreboard in the stadium.

- Have a contract with an event management company for conducting tournaments and leagues in the stadium.

- Bring in the fixed seat facility in the stadium similar to the one in Kanteerava stadium and Chinnaswamy cricket stadium.

- Improve the cafeteria/canteen in the stadium. Bring in some quality food items in the cafeteria.

- Improve the security within the stadium so that the people are able to get in their kids and families to watch matches. As of now 99% of the spectators are males.

- Alter and modify the dressing rooms. Paint the dressing rooms and stick good posters on the wall. Make the dressing rooms attractive. Improve the seating facilities within the dressing room. Assign a person as the in-charge for all dressing rooms in the stadium.

- Have good relations with local news channels and sports channels.