5 reasons why ISL can be bigger than the IPL

Indian Super League, touted as the harbinger of a revolution in Indian football, has taken the entire nation by storm. It has now started getting international acclaim due to the impressive quality of football on display, the growing no. of international footballer and a plethora of extraordinary goals being scored every week. ISL, another addition to India’s burgeoning list of franchise-based tournament, is set along the lines of the hugely successful Indian Premier League.And we look at five good reasons why the ISL can transform into something even bigger than the IPL.

#1 India is a sleeping giant in football

The phrase that has been constantly used to describe the state of Indian football is that of a ‘sleeping giant’. And to India’s disappointment, the phrase has stuck like termite to its football history. So when the Indian Super League was announced, the nation envisioned the giant finally waking up from its deep slumber and unravelling the potential within it. And the way the tournament has panned out, things are seemingly going according to plan.

ISL was watched by a record TV audience as a reported 75 million sat glued to their TV sets on the opening day of the event. The figure increased to a whopping 170 million for the opening week of the tournament. These statistics, if authentic, are almost ten times the numbers of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and way ahead of other annual sports leagues in India.

Considering the fact that domestic football viewership was almost non-existent in India prior to this competition, all ISL stakeholders have enough reasons to envisage a glowing future for the tournament and for Indian football.

Cricket occupies a heavenly status in this one billion-strong country and has its humungous legion of followers, but for a football tournament to gather so much of steam and grab so many headlines at its very outset speaks volumes about the huge potential of football in India. ISL has so rapidly turned into India’s second most watched sports event ever and it’s only a matter of time before it overtakes the Indian Premier League.

#2 Celebrity quotient

Franchise-based sports competitions inevitably arrive with their share of glitz and glamour and the Indian Super League has been no different. The Indian Premier League was probably the first sporting event in India were stars from the entertainment industry (Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Shilpa Shetty) indulged themselves by either buying one of the available franchises or signing up as brand ambassadors.

The success of the IPL paved way for franchise-styles competitions in other sports such as badminton (Indian Badminton League), kabaddi (Pro-Kabaddi), hockey (Hockey League India) et al, and all these tournaments were witness to enthusiastic participation from celebrities, sports stars and other well-known faces from around the country.

But the Indian Super League has trumped all its counterparts in this aspect. Seven of the eight franchises have been co-purchased by Bollywood stars and/or national sports legends. Atletico de Kolkata is co-owned by the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ Sourav Ganguly himself, Kerala Blasters was snapped up by Sachin Tendulkar and Mumbai City by Ranbir Kapoor.

Hrithik Roshan owns a share of Pune City, Abhishek Bacchan struck a late deal to buy Chennaiyin, NorthEast United is co-owned by John Abraham while Virat Kolhi and Varun Dhawan are two of Goa’s principal shareholders.

Such a glamorous and glorious list of owners and stakeholders has had a very positive effect on the success of the Indian Super League. These stars have gone all out to promote their respective teams and it’s been great to watch so many superstars cheering for their teams from the stands with such exuberance and passion. The presence of these personalities will help in sustaining the interest level of football fans and will hopefully inspire more Indians to start following the game of football.

#3 Grassroots program

One aspect of a sport that the Indian Premier League has missed out on amidst all its charm and grandeur is the development of the game at the very fundamental level. This can be attributed to the fact that the principal organisation behind the event, BCCI, is already committed to nurture the game through its traditional domestic setup. But the IPL is yet to tap the huge base of budding cricketers who fail to enter the professional leagues at various levels.

This is where the Indian Super League marches ahead of its cricketing counterpart. Although it is yet to get off the ground in a concrete manner, ISL’s ambitious ‘Grassroot Development Program (GDP)’ is a brainchild of AIFF’s technical and strategic committees and Nita Ambani led IMG-Reliance. The program aims to train more than a million kids across the country with a long-term vision to create a healthy breeding ground for talented young footballers, who might go on to play on the ISL stage and beyond.

For this project, every club has been directed to keep aside a minimum investment of 2 crore INR which will be utilised to design, plan and execute these programs. Some clubs have already started their independent programs by way of football camps and training sessions in their own cities. If the GDP gets the right impetus and backing, it could turn out to be the real game-changer for Indian football.

#4 Tournament format and schedule

The Indian Premier League and the BCCI has been at loggerheads with various national cricket boards because the tournament conflicts with several international bilateral series and ICC’s Future Tours Program. Players, allured by the fame and fortune on offer during the IPL, have repeatedly squabbled with their respective boards to release them to take part in the cash-rich competition.

To sum it up, the IPL has evolved into a tournament which is ruining the international cricketing calendar and increasing the stress on the already overworked and overplayed international cricketers.

The Indian Super League has no such concerns. Football, primarily, is a club-level sport and international sides sporadically meet for friendlies and the summer-based international and continental knockout events such as the FIFA World Cup, Euros, Copa America etc.

Foreign and domestic players who are not contracted to any club can easily sign-up for this two month long tournament. The Indian Super League has been recognised by various football bodies which permits the eight ISL franchises to also take players on loan from regular domestic leagues.

It is the perfect opportunity for free agents and non-contracted players to find employment for these two months, maintain their match fitness and earn some very good money in the process. Players like Elano, Andre Santos, Nicolas Anelka have taken this very route in the inaugural edition.

#5 Pure sport, pure entertainment

Indian Super League has stood out for something that every sports tournament should be known for – the quality of the sport being played. The ISL has seen some brilliant football and there are no two ways about it. The sheer class of the international players has elevated the standard of football and fans have witnessed some breathtaking moments, things which they could only associated with top European league until now.

The most striking feature so far has been the extraordinary quality of goals scored with just three weeks into the tournament. The football has been frantic; it has been furious and most importantly very technical and tactical. It has also had its fair share of controversies.

The Indian Premier League, on the other hand, though has given cricket fans some memorable moments and unearthed some good potential, but has largely remained an extensively commercialised venture. The long list of sponsored awards, timeouts and whatnot had their contribution in taking the sheen of the sport and the recurring business scandals and match-fixing episodes relating to the IPL have been a strong indictment of the IPL’s primary agenda – to make loads and loads of money.