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Landing a broadcaster to take the I-League to TV audiences is a major step towards development of Indian football
Football in India is moving towards a positive direction. This statement may be criticized by many, but a ray of hope is visible in the recent activities around football of this country. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has secured a national broadcaster for the ongoing I- League. The exciting matches attract the audience towards the most prestigious football league of the country. The super powers of world football are making their presence felt in the vast Indian market to promote their brands. The football fans of India had already witnessed the magical skills of Messi and are waiting to see many more in future. Undoubtedly, the status of Indian football, in comparison with world football, is not at all impressive, but these initiatives may create a positive impact in the process of development of football in this country.
Let us first discuss the condition of the ongoing I- League. AIFF and IMG- Reliance should be credited for their initiatives to secure a national level broadcaster to broadcast the I- League matches live. Not only that, the regional broadcasting right has been awarded to a Bengali news channel to show the matches in Bengal. This is indeed an improvement as there was no national level broadcaster for the last Federation Cup. However, there are other areas that require more attention. For example, there is no title sponsor for the ongoing I- League. ONGC supported the League for a long time, but it was more of a philanthropic sponsorship. To attract commercial sponsors, marketing initiatives should be adopted to attract eyeballs and to generate ROI for the sponsors. Unfortunately, not enough marketing initiatives have been taken for the I-League so far. But it could be expected that AIFF, with the support of IMG- Reliance, will be able to market the league in such a way so that the possibilities of sponsorship, merchandizing and gate revenue can be explored.
The second positive aspect is the interest of the superpowers of world football in the Indian market. Liverpool has already started their academy which attracts the EPL crazy youth of the country towards football. Barcelona, another dominating force of world football, will start the ‘FC Barcelona Soccer Camp’ in New Delhi in early 2012. Manchester United have already started their marketing activities in India to promote their brand. Apart from these initiatives, the football fans of India had the opportunities to witness the soccer greats live in India. Who can forget the historical match between Argentina and Venezuela? Nobody can ignore the craze created during the match between Bayern Munich and Mohun Bagan which was played at the Salt Lake Stadium in 2008. It has been said that the biggies of world football are attracted towards Indian market and they don’t have any commitment for the development of Indian football. But, the impact created through these initiatives can never be ignored. It creates hype around football which should be sustained and effectively utilized for the interest of Indian football.
The I- League was introduced in 2007 with the objective to professionalize Indian football. The AIFF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) jointly took an initiative to structure the I-League through the applications of the Club Licensing Criteria. Following the guidelines of the Club Licensing Criteria, most of the I- League clubs have already appointed professional managers to look after the administration and management. It can be argued that many of these professional managers are not in the position to make decisions, but their inclusion in the management may play a pivotal role in changing the environment of these clubs.
Football, the most popular sport of the world, is yet to attain the stage of development in India. The limited success of the national team at the international level, lack of marketing initiatives, fan developmental initiatives and infrastructure are the major impediments in the process of development of football in India. Comprehensive initiatives are required to develop the game in India. Positive indications have already been observed to promote football in this country. The pro- active role of the stakeholders of Indian football may change the scenario. We, the football fans of India, are waiting!
The author is a member of faculty, Naval Tata Centre of Excellence in Sports Management, IISWBM, Kolkata
