Why Is The Premiership So Popular In India?

The 2008-2009 Premier League season is on our doorsteps. The much awaited hullaballoo will resume as fans all across India shall hook onto the TV screens every weekend and the regular fights among the Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and other clubs’ ‘hardcore’ Indian supporters shall resume and tend to arch towards a new peak.

India might still be called a Third World nation and cricket might still be the ultimate sport for the best fraction of the Indian population but there is no doubt that the English Premier League is huge in the country. It is easily the most watched domestic football league in India, followed more keenly than India’s very own I-League.

But then what exactly makes top tier English football so very popular that people, especially the youngsters, are so very fanatically fond of it? What makes the Premiership such an attractive package to the football following Indian public?

Societal Diffusion

First off, there is a societal factor seeped into the equation. Foreign football in India kicked off on a nationwide scale after the launch of the Premiership in the 1990s, coincidentally the same time that the Indian government decided to open up its economy. Now, with the floodgates opening, the nation became more ‘susceptible’ to a foreign cultural invasion.

With the cultural diffusion came the infusion of footballing hype into Indian borders. The Premiership package just helped the Indian sensitivity to absorb in the luscious view of English football and that simply gathered momentum in the subsequent stages.

Hip And Cool

So much so that these days watching and knowing about football is considered as one vital tool to gain respect in society. Observing this as something cool and very much modern, someone who doesn’t know Premiership football soon realizes that to cease his ostracism from modernity he needs to follow the Premiership. And so the following of the Premier League increases.

Quality Of Football

Then of course there is the quality of Premiership football. The frenzy pace and the quality of the Big Four do tend to inspire the Indians. English football revolves around the concept of territorial advantage and forceful pace and for the vast majority of Indians, this tugs at a deep cord.

True, for the aesthetically inclined La Liga tends to be more entertaining while for those football tactician out there the Italian Serie A is the apt domestic league to watch but for the majority of the Indian football public, the Premiership seems to be the cherry on the cake for the direct end-to-end stuff that the Premier League teams play.

The success of Manchester United in the late 1990s, especially their treble winning season in 1998-1999, constructed a huge fanbase here in India. The thrilling football exhibited by Man United and Arsenal attracts loads of Indian youngsters to their TV screens on weekends. Plus, the recent exploits of England's top sides in the UEFA Champions League have only reinforced the conviction among majority of the Indian youth that the Premiership is the league to watch.

Ground Atmosphere

And the somewhat unique atmosphere of the Premiership adds to the fervor. The Premier League clubs long abandoned the stands and clubs have embraced the all-seater stadiums. The stadiums might not look too romantic as pieces of architecture but the absence of the running tracks around the pitch, the feel of the proximity between the fans and the players on the pitch and the compactness of the grounds make the scene enticing indeed on the TV screen.

Broadcasting Factor

Success breeds success just as money begets money. The success of the Premiership has inspired the main sports broadcasting channel(s) in India to go for blanket coverage of the Premiership games. Most of the 10 Premier League matches every week are Live while the rest are played later on. The quality of the cameras is world class and the pictures are truly attractive.

Then of course there is the commentary. Believe it nor not, there are people in the UK who blast the Premier League commentary as offered by Sky Sports but in India the commentary is considered as top draw. Indians seem to love the high pitched passionate commentary offered by Sky.

The 3pm(UK time) kickoffs are banned from being broadcasted in the UK but the commentators don’t seem to sound as if it is so when they are doing the commentary, do they? Which, for the Indian public, should not matter really. So a passion-soaked, exhilarating commentary collude very well with the high pace of the Premier League games.

The Premier League matches come on air Live in India on Saturdays in late afternoon, evening and late evening and on Sunday evenings and late evenings (and at times in midweeks) and this perfectly suits the Indian timings. While matches in La Liga (and the Italian Serie A) are held at around the same time, the major Indian broadcaster of European football, rightly or wrongly, tends to focus only on the Premier League matches during the time.

The English Language

One key factor that has helped, and will help, in the promotion of the Premiership in India is the English language. Hindi might still be the national language but the prevalent concept is that if you don’t know English you can never establish yourself. The English language craze has certainly helped India to establish itself as one of the rising superpowers globally and it has also helped promote the Premiership in the nation.

The English is known by the majority of the youth in India(at least in the urban areas) and the previously mentioned entertaining English commentary does attract the English speaking Indian public, of which there are many.

Here To Stay
And to make the situation better, Hindi commentary on certain Premier League matches is available in certain areas!

For better or for worse, the English Premier League has captured the Indian sporting market. It has grown manifold since its launch in the 1990s and given the state of things at the present time, it can only swell in popularity.

Subhankar Mondal