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What next?
After shutting shop in 2014, HAL is trying to return to the main fold but are bogged by the AIFF's licensing criteria.
The legends game was a hit but where do these institutional clubs stand currently? Teams like LRDE, CIL, ADE and others play in the local leagues but cannot figure in the top layer of Indian football because of their limited budget and failure to meet the AIFF's licensing criteria.
Yet, Tamhane feels they have a lot to offer. "For me, more than playing in the I-League or the National Football League (NFL), what they did was guarantee employment for footballers. We're missing that big time now.
"They can still add that. You can still have them in the local leagues as the budgets are small. But if you have a club which gives you employment, that helps an individual who is trying to make a living out of football.
"Of course, you have clubs which help the professionals. But a lot more of players can think of a career in football with the guarantee that once they retire, they can go back to a job and continue making their living.
"Institutional clubs did this greatly and they can and should do this."
Even Rahul Bheke, the Bengaluru FC mainstay who started his career with Air India in Mumbai, Indian football cannot do without institutional clubs. "I started my I-League career with Air India and I am really thankful that they gave me the opportunity to show my talent," Bheke said after appearing in the HAL-ITI Legends game.
"Being based out of Mumbai, Air India used to pick a lot of the local lads for their team. And they would hand opportunity to the youngsters, which in turn helped them develop the career. That's why they are so important in Indian football."
For now, the legends will go home tired, but happy after a wonderful game of football. The audience clapped, roared, taunted and loved every bit of it.
But what does tomorrow hold for institutional clubs? Only time will tell.
