6 ways in which football can be promoted in India

India recently hosted the 2022 FIFA U-17 women's World Cup. There was reasonable doubt about the location in the build-up to the tournament due to FIFA's ban on AIFF due to undue influence from third parties. It is a serious violation of FIFA's statutes.

However, FIFA lifted the ban after they received confirmation that the mandate of the Committee of Administrators that was set up for the AIFF Executive Committee had been terminated.

AIFF president Kaliyan Chaubey recently spoke about a major policy shift and said that AIFF will work closely with clubs to bring about a change in domestic football.

He further said that focusing on hosting international football competitions is not a priority right now but instead they are going to promote football at the grassroots level in India.

Let's take a look at the steps needed to improve football in India and compete internationally.

1) Marketing amongst the youth:

A big problem in India is the marketing of football, although AIFF has done a good job in marketing there is still a lot to do. I believe different banners should be put up for football matches, and ads should be run for upcoming matches as well as highlights.

People who don't follow football matches in India regularly wouldn't even know if there was a football match going on. The same can't be said for cricket, as the cricket board does a great job in its marketing.

2) Better scouting:

Unlike India, there are a lot of great scouts in footballing giants like Europe and North America. I believe people with a great knowledge of football should be appointed as scouts who can go to different urban and rural parts of India to find young talent who will be the future of football in India.

3) Money:

Salaries should be better than what they are right now. I'm not saying that Indian footballers should be getting the same wages as European footballers, but it should seem attractive enough for people who are financially less fortunate.

This will come as a great motivation for kids and their parents as well. I believe that players who represent India on an international stage should be given good salaries, it doesn't matter which sport.

4) International coaches:

There are a lot of great international coaches who can help improve the footballing quality in India. Not only the players but even coaches in India will also get to learn a lot from them. For example, Zinedine Zidane, who is one of the best footballers ever, can be regarded as one of the best coaches as well because he learned a lot under the legendary Carlo Ancelotti.

5) Attractive salaries for international players:

With the USA slowly becoming a footballing giant with their league MLS, popular players around the world usually go to play in MLS before retiring because of their attractive salaries.

Local players will get to learn a lot from experienced international players if India manages to attract these players. Imagine someone like Cristiano Ronaldo or Leonel Messi playing in the Indian Super League before retiring.

I know it's a long shot, but it would be huge if players who have had great careers come and played in India.

6) Qualification for the FIFA World Cup

India only ever qualified for the FIFA World Cup once in 1950 after the Philippines, Burma, and Indonesia pulled out of qualification. However, India decided against a trip to Brazil to play in the Olympics.

Starting with the 2026 World Cup, the competition will have 48 teams expanded from 32. There will be eight slots for Asia, which means India will have a great chance at qualification.

The craze for football is more than ever in India right now, and I have great hopes that India will qualify soon.