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If there was ever a best time to be a sports lover in India, it is now! The surge of franchisee based sports league over the last few years has not only provided ample opportunities for fans to fulfill their sporting appetite, but has also opened up new avenues for both the players, who otherwise might not have got a chance to showcase their talent on the world stage, as well as the sports marketers, who till few years back could only rely on International events to earn their bucks.
In a land obsessed with cricket, the Indian Premier League was the ideal game-changer in making India believe that a franchisee based sports league could work. It soon got followed by leagues of hockey, badminton, kabaddi and now football. The Indian Super League, which is India’s attempted answer to the coveted English Premier League kicked off in October in grand style, and it augers positive signs for Indian football and sports marketers alike.
So how does the ISL work?
Founded by IMG-Reliance with the backing of the All India Football Federation, the ISL has been designed on lines similar to the Major League Soccer in the United States.
The stakeholders of the ISL have chosen the tried and tested mantra of success: combine the money of India’s billionaires/corporate bigwigs with the glitz and glamour of Bollywood celebrities and Indian cricket stars. Add to that the presence of former footballing greats like Nicolas Anelka, Luis Garcia, Freddie Ljungberg, Robert Pires, and David Trezeguet, the ISL stands to make a big impact in the country.
Why ISL is here to stay
The FIFA President, Sepp Blatter in an address during his a visit to India called India the “sleeping giant of football”. He believed that the 1.3 billion people provide a huge market for football to grow in the country. The passion for football can be seen from the fact how fervently the EPL is followed here. The AIFF once went on record stating, ‘“More people in India watch the EPL than in England.” According to a study by Tam Sports, football had 155 million viewers in India in 2012, second only to cricket’s 176 million.
Even the match attendance figures during the ISL games so far have manifested India’s positive reception towards the league. It’s been more than a month since the ISL started and the attendance during matches have been overwhelming. The stadiums have been jam-packed more often than not, with the smaller venues like Kochi and Guwahati attracting the most crowds. According to a earlier report publish on Sportskeeda, ISL has averaged more supporters on a match day than that of leagues in Italy or France.
| League | Season | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bundesliga | 2014/15 | 3, 941, 311 | 91 | 43311 |
| EPL | 2014/15 | 3, 605, 012 | 100 | 36050 |
| La Liga | 2014/15 | 2, 782, 228 | 100 | 27822 |
| ISL | 2014/14 | 5,44,740 | 23 | 23654 |
| Serie A | 2013/14 | 8, 886, 213 | 380 | 23385 |
| Ligue 1 | 2014/15 | 2, 616, 129 | 120 | 21801 |
Marketing opportunities galore
Apart from the well-known footballing hubs like Kolkata and Goa, the ISL has captured the non-traditional football locations like Guwahati, Kerala, Pune and Delhi. This has provided an ideal scenario for sports marketers who wish to enter unexplored territories, and cater to an almost a new market. Another way through which marketers have monetized the growing loyalty of the fans is merchandising. The huge success of football merchandizing and retail, during the EPL, can very well be replicated by the ISL in the future.
One of the differentiating factors of the ISL is that the host broadcaster, Star Sports, is also the promoter-owner of the league. They have been aggressive in promoting the league through digital and electronic platforms, using means such as cross-marketing and disseminating information to every nook and corner of India. The cross marketing strategy can be seen from the fact that the ISL tied up with the EPL as part of an exchange programme. Also almost every commercial break during the Champions League T20 showed an ISL advertisement.
The association of Bollywood and cricket celebrities adds another marketing dimension to the ISL. According to an Economic Times report, each franchise is required to induct a celebrity brand ambassador for the promotion of the entire league as well as the home franchise. This is another reason why there are plethora of advertisements involving these celebrities.
One major cause of concern
One major factor which will decide the future of the ISL is the quality of football. The below-average quality of Indian players puts the entire onus on international stars who are well past their primes.
If the ISL has to sustain itself in the long run, it would have to look at roping in more current international stars. As of now, this might seem far-fetched considering India isn’t a prominent name in the football map. But with some patience and considering the growing love for football in the country, the ISL can very well succeed in doing so, and might in turn move towards becoming one of the major football leagues of the world.
