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The Indian Dream: Can India Form A Competetive League?
Is it possible...
14-Jul-2010 4:24:00 AM
When the biggest sporting spectacle on earth, the 2010 World Cup was on, the largest democracy in the world was glued to it with high energy and passion as if the nation itself was participating. It is indicative of the fact that second largest populated country truly loves football.
There was a big debate as to why India was not part of the World Cup and how they could reach that stage? Volumes have been written on this with many solutions and remedies were put forth by countless Indian fans and experts, many of which were apt and applicable. The depth of understanding on the way out coupled with the eagerness shown by fans to see Indian football rise to a world-class level is beyond doubt the best scenario India can ask for, in order to go for a 360 degree makeover.
When Can India Make It?
One of the solutions that emerged was that of formation of a competitive league in India to kill all its problems systematically and emerge as a strong football playing nation. Then the question comes, can India form a top notch league? Certainly India can! Does that mean India needs to forget its I-league and come up with a totally new plan? Of course yes!
It’s vital to understand that the I-league has lot of inherited weaknesses and it would be difficult to significantly change its character even with involvement of much talked about AFC Licensing Criteria which only addresses on some basic characteristics of clubs which are in no way sufficient to build a league which can take India to the next level. Would this mean these clubs will not have any roles to play in the new league? It isn’t so but to be part of a top quality league they would have to form a consortium with right partners for its brand image otherwise brand personality of the club will not be attractive enough for the market to get engaged with it and above all, will not have the power to engage fans and sustainability will be a big question.
There is no reason to believe why India with emerging economy and high disposable income, considerable young population with high aspiration, large TV household, strong interest in football, etc. characteristics cannot form a top quality football property in India. It very much can! As a first step governing body in India should form a strong task force or management council with high profile individuals from different walks of life (football, business leader, corporate, entertainment, media, international professionals, government, clubs, etc) to chalk out a strategy and plan to establish the foundation for a high quality league. Why a task force, why not the All India Football Federation (AIFF)?
Is I-League The Future Of Indian Football?
The answer is very simple. The football body alone cannot do this mammoth task alone because they don’t have the resources to do it. If India wants to launch that kind of league say by 2012, then it must start its deliberation immediately and continue for the next 18-to-24 months to come out with a strategic vision document for next 50 years which will have every minute detail from the formation to the operation, investment plan to scalability and criterion on clubs to player wages to development and much more.
Attracting investment to build this strong property shouldn’t be a problem if the business plan is backed by strong business minds and entrepreneurship zeal. To form such a form of competitive league it would require investment of approximately US$ 2000 million for first five years. For many this figure would sound outrageous since the combined budget of I-League today is approximately US$32 million. Therefore, many in the system out rightly reject the whole proposition of a competitive league. But can India afford such a rejection?
Money Speaks
This is the time to wake up and dream big as without a higher ambition nothing new can be achieved, and by only adopting market friendly changes the success can come to Indian football. Let’s come back to investment side and share some clarity on this most crucial aspect of the game changer. Just to clarify, this staggering $ 2000 million would be invested by all stakeholders (combined budget) and not by a single entity in different aspects of the league. Sizeable investment would require in refurbishing of infrastructure, creating training facility, league management, players including icon foreign players, marketing, sportainment, manpower, etc. After seeing this huge investment number the obvious thought comes to mind, can this investment ensure Return on Investment (ROI)?
Obviously, with this kind of investment and top class business minds the value of the league would go up in gigantic proportion and will create value proposition for each of the stakeholders which would result in an increasing flow of revenue from multiple sources. But it won’t be practical to think that from the very first year it would give bumper returns. The league would get to real value in 3-to-5 years period. The revenue streams won’t be different from what a top European league or club would be getting today.
The foundation for top quality league means creating plans and structure to have excellent stadiums, adequate fan base, star players, significant TV audience, professional management, top clubs with strong governance, community development, young player development (academy), reputed coaches, above all making sure everything results into production of quality games for the consumption of countless millions and to deliver real value for everyone involved in the game, etc. In all probability the vision of the league would be to ultimately attract world’s best players to this eye catching league in India may be in next 10 years time.
India has to believe and think big that it has the power to change the dynamics of world football. It has a wonderful opportunity to set foundation for the best league in the world and who knows with growing economic problems in the west and mounting debts of big European clubs, India may become perfect destination for world’s best in future. So, it is important to frame the regulations of top quality league in such a way that it includes what today UEFA calls it ‘Financial Fair Play Principles’. It is imperative to note that 22% of clubs in Europe are making losses and 53% only breaks even, and other major problem is that of high disparity between the top two or four clubs and others in the European league. Therefore, India is today in a best situation to adopt best practices from leagues of Europe, US and Asia to plan one for itself.
Only a pessimist would think of the above as a gamble but with all certainty it is the only way to fast track development in India. To make this plan practical the governing body in India would require serious long term private partners in key aspects of the league. Fortunately, there are many entrepreneurs and companies ready to invest big in the game and if the AIFF makes the right framework then it can attract right partners.
Most infrastructures which are under the control of government departments would require to be refurbished and therefore, hiring such facilities from government for a long term usage would be key to successful planning of the league. Forming a league of this nature would involve tremendous hard work and exceptional team work from all stakeholders. 21st century India certainly has the capability and resources to create such fabulous football property in India. By 2016 India will be home to largest youth population in the world i.e. approximately 510 million in the age group of 15 to 35 years. What an engagement opportunity for football and its associated brands?
One caution, high quality league does not mean either duplicating IPL and its format or staging few weeks league with retired international players. Here the competitive league would mean starting with 12 strong clubs with great brand identity and lasting for 6 months and in the next five years or so, it must have 20 teams, with the league being on for at least nine months.
The new league should be of four tier structure, i.e. Indian Premier Football League (IPFL – top division), Championship League (Division II), State Football League (Division III) and District Football League (Division IV). Thus every stakeholder would be involved in the league and as per league vision, the plan would be to create 300 well regulated clubs and 150 football academies in India by next 50 years.
Why wait, lets start the work today and roll it out as per plan to enjoy the best future of Indian football. India certainly can! God bless Indian football.
Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran
Associate Vice President SE TransStadia Pvt Ltd
So Do You Agree With The Views Of Dr.Shaji? Is It A Viable Plan?
There was a big debate as to why India was not part of the World Cup and how they could reach that stage? Volumes have been written on this with many solutions and remedies were put forth by countless Indian fans and experts, many of which were apt and applicable. The depth of understanding on the way out coupled with the eagerness shown by fans to see Indian football rise to a world-class level is beyond doubt the best scenario India can ask for, in order to go for a 360 degree makeover.
When Can India Make It?
One of the solutions that emerged was that of formation of a competitive league in India to kill all its problems systematically and emerge as a strong football playing nation. Then the question comes, can India form a top notch league? Certainly India can! Does that mean India needs to forget its I-league and come up with a totally new plan? Of course yes!
It’s vital to understand that the I-league has lot of inherited weaknesses and it would be difficult to significantly change its character even with involvement of much talked about AFC Licensing Criteria which only addresses on some basic characteristics of clubs which are in no way sufficient to build a league which can take India to the next level. Would this mean these clubs will not have any roles to play in the new league? It isn’t so but to be part of a top quality league they would have to form a consortium with right partners for its brand image otherwise brand personality of the club will not be attractive enough for the market to get engaged with it and above all, will not have the power to engage fans and sustainability will be a big question.
There is no reason to believe why India with emerging economy and high disposable income, considerable young population with high aspiration, large TV household, strong interest in football, etc. characteristics cannot form a top quality football property in India. It very much can! As a first step governing body in India should form a strong task force or management council with high profile individuals from different walks of life (football, business leader, corporate, entertainment, media, international professionals, government, clubs, etc) to chalk out a strategy and plan to establish the foundation for a high quality league. Why a task force, why not the All India Football Federation (AIFF)?
Is I-League The Future Of Indian Football?
The answer is very simple. The football body alone cannot do this mammoth task alone because they don’t have the resources to do it. If India wants to launch that kind of league say by 2012, then it must start its deliberation immediately and continue for the next 18-to-24 months to come out with a strategic vision document for next 50 years which will have every minute detail from the formation to the operation, investment plan to scalability and criterion on clubs to player wages to development and much more.
Attracting investment to build this strong property shouldn’t be a problem if the business plan is backed by strong business minds and entrepreneurship zeal. To form such a form of competitive league it would require investment of approximately US$ 2000 million for first five years. For many this figure would sound outrageous since the combined budget of I-League today is approximately US$32 million. Therefore, many in the system out rightly reject the whole proposition of a competitive league. But can India afford such a rejection?
Money Speaks
This is the time to wake up and dream big as without a higher ambition nothing new can be achieved, and by only adopting market friendly changes the success can come to Indian football. Let’s come back to investment side and share some clarity on this most crucial aspect of the game changer. Just to clarify, this staggering $ 2000 million would be invested by all stakeholders (combined budget) and not by a single entity in different aspects of the league. Sizeable investment would require in refurbishing of infrastructure, creating training facility, league management, players including icon foreign players, marketing, sportainment, manpower, etc. After seeing this huge investment number the obvious thought comes to mind, can this investment ensure Return on Investment (ROI)?
Obviously, with this kind of investment and top class business minds the value of the league would go up in gigantic proportion and will create value proposition for each of the stakeholders which would result in an increasing flow of revenue from multiple sources. But it won’t be practical to think that from the very first year it would give bumper returns. The league would get to real value in 3-to-5 years period. The revenue streams won’t be different from what a top European league or club would be getting today.
The foundation for top quality league means creating plans and structure to have excellent stadiums, adequate fan base, star players, significant TV audience, professional management, top clubs with strong governance, community development, young player development (academy), reputed coaches, above all making sure everything results into production of quality games for the consumption of countless millions and to deliver real value for everyone involved in the game, etc. In all probability the vision of the league would be to ultimately attract world’s best players to this eye catching league in India may be in next 10 years time.
India has to believe and think big that it has the power to change the dynamics of world football. It has a wonderful opportunity to set foundation for the best league in the world and who knows with growing economic problems in the west and mounting debts of big European clubs, India may become perfect destination for world’s best in future. So, it is important to frame the regulations of top quality league in such a way that it includes what today UEFA calls it ‘Financial Fair Play Principles’. It is imperative to note that 22% of clubs in Europe are making losses and 53% only breaks even, and other major problem is that of high disparity between the top two or four clubs and others in the European league. Therefore, India is today in a best situation to adopt best practices from leagues of Europe, US and Asia to plan one for itself.
Only a pessimist would think of the above as a gamble but with all certainty it is the only way to fast track development in India. To make this plan practical the governing body in India would require serious long term private partners in key aspects of the league. Fortunately, there are many entrepreneurs and companies ready to invest big in the game and if the AIFF makes the right framework then it can attract right partners.
Most infrastructures which are under the control of government departments would require to be refurbished and therefore, hiring such facilities from government for a long term usage would be key to successful planning of the league. Forming a league of this nature would involve tremendous hard work and exceptional team work from all stakeholders. 21st century India certainly has the capability and resources to create such fabulous football property in India. By 2016 India will be home to largest youth population in the world i.e. approximately 510 million in the age group of 15 to 35 years. What an engagement opportunity for football and its associated brands?
One caution, high quality league does not mean either duplicating IPL and its format or staging few weeks league with retired international players. Here the competitive league would mean starting with 12 strong clubs with great brand identity and lasting for 6 months and in the next five years or so, it must have 20 teams, with the league being on for at least nine months.
The new league should be of four tier structure, i.e. Indian Premier Football League (IPFL – top division), Championship League (Division II), State Football League (Division III) and District Football League (Division IV). Thus every stakeholder would be involved in the league and as per league vision, the plan would be to create 300 well regulated clubs and 150 football academies in India by next 50 years.
Why wait, lets start the work today and roll it out as per plan to enjoy the best future of Indian football. India certainly can! God bless Indian football.
Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran
Associate Vice President SE TransStadia Pvt Ltd
So Do You Agree With The Views Of Dr.Shaji? Is It A Viable Plan?
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