Indian Football Development Plan

INDIAN FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Compiled By –
Ronak Totlani

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CONTENTS

Serial No. Topic Page No.
Introduction 3
Structure 3
The National Indian Football 3
Statistics 3
History 4
Competitive Record 7
The Indian Football Leagues 8
I-League 9
1
I-League 2nd Division 9
State League football 9
Youth Leagues 9
Cup Competitions 9
List of Popular Current Football Clubs 10
Women's football 17
Infrastructure 18
Sponsors & Partners 19
Symptoms of problems 20
Poor Management & Organization 20
Loss of Glory 20
Player Development 22
2
Financial crisis 22
Lack of infrastructure 24
Marketing and Branding 24
Public Interest & Media coverage 25
3 How other countries have improved the game? 26
4 SWOT of current status 27
5 Problems Identified 28
Solution Plan 28
Organization Structure 29
Player Development 29
School/College Teams 30
Town/City Teams 30
District Teams 31
State Teams 31
Aim of Player Development 32
6 Sport Development 32
I-League 32
Organization 32
Infrastructure 33
Marketing & Branding 34
Financial Overview 34
Coach Development 35
Media Coverage 36
Control 36

1
Ronak Narendra Totlani

Government Role 36
A Little help from the Government 37
Main Schemes via SAI (Sports Authority of India) –
7 Should be taken advantage of for Football
development. 38
Problems with the above Schemes 43

Rays of hope 43
Extracts from tam sports data of 2009 43
8
Some examples of Overseas help 49
Observed Money generation capacity 49
9 References 50

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I. INTRODUCTION

A. Structure
The game in India is administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which is
affiliated with the regional Asian Football Confederation, as well as with the worldwide body
FIFA. The Indian national team has entered into the regional Asian Cup but has never
competed in any World Cup. The Indian women's national team has also played in various
competitions; moreover, women's football has its own separate inter-state and state
competitions. Youth football is administered by the governmental Sports Authority of India.

The standard of Indian football (compared globally) is poor. According to FIFA rankings, the
national team is ranked 146th place in the world as of April 2011, and is said to struggle to
qualify for both the World Cup and the Asian Cup. Part of this has been put down to the lack
of opportunities for proper training and development of players in the country.

The Indian Football (soccer) can be divided into two viz.,
1. The National Indian Football (International games) and
2. The Indian Football Leagues (Domestic games)

While standards of other Asian nations in which football is the most popular sport improved,
Indian football was largely neglected in preference to cricket in which the national team is
among the top three countries in the world.

B. The National Indian Football

1. Statistics: -

Title Description
International Logo

Association All India Football Federation
Nickname Blue Tigers, Monsoon Warriors, Bhangra
Boys
Home stadium Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi
FIFA code IND
FIFA ranking (September 2011) 149
Highest FIFA ranking 94 (February 1996)
Lowest FIFA ranking 165 (March 2007)
Captain (2011) Climax Lawrence
Most captains Bhaichung Bhutia (109 matches)
Top scorer Bhaichung Bhutia (43 matches)

3

World Cup
Appearances 1 (First in 1950)
Best result Qualification (withdrew before the start of
the World Cup)

Asian Cup
Appearances 3 (First in 1964)
Best result Runners-up: 1964

First international
Australia 5–3 India (Sydney, Australia; September 03, 1938)

Biggest win
India 7-1 Australia (Sydney, Australia; December 12, 1956)
India 7–1 Ceylon (Bangalore, India; December 16, 1963)

Biggest defeat
Soviet Union 11–1 India (Moscow, USSR; September 16, 1955)

The Indian national football team is the national football team of India and is governed by the
All India Football Federation. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation.

Since 1948, the AIFF has been affiliated with FIFA, the international governing body for
football. In 1954, AIFF became one of the founder members of the Asian Football
Confederation (AFC).

2. History: -

The origin of football in India can be traced back to mid nineteenth century when the game
was introduced by British soldiers. Football spread among the masses thanks to the efforts of
one Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhichary.

Phase I: - 1930 - 1971

 Soon after the success of several Indian football clubs, the All India Football
Federation (AIFF) was formed in 1937.

 Indian teams started touring Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand in
late 1930s.

 The 1948 London Olympics was India's first major international tournament, where a
predominately barefooted Indian team lost 2–1 to France, failing to convert two
penalties. The Indian team was greeted and appreciated by the crowd for their
sporting manner.

 India qualified by default for the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as a result of the
withdrawal of all of their scheduled opponents. But the governing body AIFF decided
against going to the World Cup, being unable to understand the importance of the
event at that time. Reason shown by AIFF was: -

4

1. The cost of travel,
2. Lack of practice time,
3. Team selection issues,
4. Their refusal to not play barefoot and
5. Valuing Olympics over FIFA World cup.

 Although FIFA imposed a rule banning barefoot play following 1948 Olympics where
India had played barefoot. The myth that Indians refused to play because they were
not allowed to play barefoot is not entirely true, according to the then Indian captain
Shailen Manna, it was just a story to cover up the disastrous decision of the AIFF. The
team has never since come close to qualifying for the World Cup.

 The period from 1951 to 1962 is considered the golden era in Indian football. Under
the tutelage of legendary Syed Abdul Rahim, India became the best team in Asia. The
Indian team started the 1950s with their triumph in the 1951 Asian Games which they
hosted. India beat both Indonesia and Afghanistan 3–0 to reach the final where they
beat Iran 1–0.

 In 1952, India continued their form by winning the Colombo Quadrangular Cup held
in Sri Lanka.

 Later that year they went on to participate in the 1952 Olympics, but lost 10–1 to
Yugoslavia. As four years earlier, many of the team played without boots. After the
result AIFF immediately made it mandatory to wear boots.

 India also won three further editions of the Quadrangular Cup, which were held in
Burma, Calcutta and Dhaka in 1953, 1954 and 1955 respectively. India then went on
to finish second in the 1954 Asian Games held in Manila.

 At the 1956 Olympic Games they finished fourth, which is regarded as one of finest
achievements in Indian football. India first met hosts Australia, winning 4–2 with
Neville D'Souza becoming the first Asian to score a hatrick in the Olympics and also
making India the first Asian team to reach the Olympic semi-finals. They lost 4–1 to
Yugoslavia, and lost the third place play-off match 3–0 to Bulgaria.

 India later participated in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo where they finished fourth,
and the Merdeka Cup 1959 in Malaysia finishing second.

 India started off 1960 with Asian Cup qualifiers in which they failed to qualify.

 India went on to win the 1962 Asian Games where they beat South Korea 2–1 in the
final, and two years later finished second in the Asian Cup which was held in round-
robin format. India played in the Merdeka Cup in 1964, 1965 and 1966 where they
finished 2nd, 3rd and 3rd respectively.

 India later played in the Asian Games in 1966 in Bangkok but were eliminated in first
round.

5

 India took third place in the 1970 Asian Games, beating Japan 1–0 in the third place,
play-off but have failed to qualify for other major tournaments, other than as host,
only once since that time.

Phase II: - 1971 – 2010

 Failure in a series of qualification tournaments meant that the next time India reach a
quarter-final stage was as host in the 1982 Asian Games.

 In 1984 India successfully qualified for the Asian Cup again, but failed to make any
impact.

 India won gold medals in the SAF Games of both 1984 (in Dhaka) and 1987
(Calcutta).

 They won the inaugural SAARC Cup in 1993 in Lahore, and finished runner-up in
Colombo two years later.

 By 1997 the competition had been renamed as the SAFF Cup, and India won it in
both 1997 and 1999 edition, when they hosted it in Goa.

 Although India failed to qualify for the 2004 Asian Cup, the senior team shone in a
silver medal-winning performance in the inaugural Afro Asian Games, with victories
over Rwanda and Zimbabwe (then 85 places ahead of India in the world rankings)
along the way, losing the final by just 1–0 to Uzbekistan.

 As a result, Indian football has steadily earned greater recognition and respect, both
within the country and abroad. In November 2003, Stephen was named AFC Manager
of the Month.

 India could not do much not when they lost to Pakistan and Bangladesh in the 2003
SAFF Cup and defeats in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers meant Stephen Constantine
was sacked.

 The LG Cup win in Vietnam under Stephen Constantine was one of the few bright
spots in early part of 2000s. It was India's first victory in a football tournament
outside the subcontinent after 1974. India defeated hosts Vietnam 3–2 in the final
despite trailing 2–0 after 30 minutes.

 In 2005 Syed Nayeemuddin was appointed as India coach but he was immediately
sacked following year after heavy defeats in 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Bob
Houghton was later appointed coach of team in 2006. His appointment saw a general
progress in India‟s performances crowned by victory in 2007 Nehru Cup in August
2007. Houghton led India to the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup title as they beat Tajikistan
4–1 in August 2008. Winning the AFC challenge cup eventually qualified them for
the AFC Asian Cup for the first time since 1984. He also oversaw the Indian team to
its second consecutive Nehru Cup trophy by winning 2009 Nehru Cup.

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2011

In 2011, India started off their campaign by participating in 2011 AFC Asian Cup for which
they qualified after 24 years. They were placed in strong Group C along with South Korea,
Australia and Bahrain. India lost all three matches but did manage to perform well in patches.
Goalkeeper Subrata Pal won a lot of accolades for his performances.

Team Played Won Draw Lost Goals Goals Goal Points
F A Difference
Australia 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 7
South Korea 3 2 1 0 7 3 +4 7
Bahrain 3 1 0 2 6 5 +1 3
India 3 0 0 3 3 13 −10 0

India played its first match in 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification on March 21st winning
3–0 against Chinese Taipei, with Jewel Raja Shaikh, Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua
scoring the goals.

On March 23rd they faced Pakistan. India came from behind and defeated Pakistan 3–1 with
Jeje Lalpekhlua scoring 2 goals and Steven Dias scoring one.

On March 25th they faced Turkmenistanin their last 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifying
game and. India drew the game 1–1. The result meant that they finished on top of Group B
and qualified for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup. The Indian senior football team defeated
Qatar 2–1 in an international friendly before the start of the world cup qualifier against UAE
(United Arab Emirates). India went on to lose the qualifying encounter by 5-2 on aggregate
over two legs, having contentiously suffered two red cards and two converted penalties in the
first 23 minutes of the opening leg, which the UAE won by 3-0. Ever sense the Indian
national team went on a friendly tour to the Caribbean Islands, which turned out to be very
unsuccessful. Recently they were beaten 2-1 by Guyana.

3. Competitive Record

World Cup record

1. 1930 to 1938 – Did not enter
2. 1950 – Qualified but withdrew
3. 1954 – Entry not accepted by FIFA
4. 1958 to 1982 – Did not enter
5. 1986 to 2014 – Did not qualify

Asian Cup record

Year Round GP W D L GF GA
1956 Did not enter - - - - - -
1960 Did not Qualify - - - - - -
1964 Runner Up 3 2 0 1 5 3
1968 to 1980 Did not Qualify - - - - - -
1984 Round 1 4 0 1 3 0 7

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1988 to 2007 Did not Qualify - - - - - -
2011 Round 1 3 0 0 3 3 13
Total Best : Runner Up 10 2 1 7 8 23

SAFF tournament record

Year Round GP Won Drew Lost GF GA
1993 Champions 3 2 1 0 4 1
1995 Runner Up 3 1 1 1 2 3
1997 Champions 4 3 1 0 12 3
1999 Champions 4 3 1 0 6 1
2003 Third Place 5 2 1 2 8 5
2005 Champions 5 4 1 0 9 2
2008 Runner Up 5 4 1 0 9 3
2009 Champions 5 3 1 1 3 2
Total Best: Champions 34 22 8 4 53 20

AFC Challenge Cup record

Year Round GP Won Drew Lost
2006 Quarterfinals 4 1 2 1
2008 Champions 5 4 1 0
2010 Group Stage* 3 0 0 3
2012 Qualified
Total Best: Champions 12 5 3 4

*India did not field the senior team in this competition

Nehru Cup record

Nehru Cup
Year Round GP W D L GF GA
2007 Champions 5 4 0 1 13 3
2009 Champions 5 3 0 2 6 5
Total Best: Champions 10 7 0 3 19 8

C. The Indian Football Leagues

The origin of football in India can be traced back to mid nineteenth century when the game
was introduced by British soldiers. Football spread among the masses thanks to the efforts of
one Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhichary. Several football clubs like Calcutta FC, Sovabazar,
Mohun Bagan and Aryan Club were established in Calcutta around 1890s. Calcutta, then
capital of British India, soon became the hub of Indian football.

Tournaments like Gladstone Cup, Trades Cup and Coocbehar Cup was also started around
this time. Durand Cup and IFA Shield were started in late nineteenth century making them
two of the oldest football competitions in the world.

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Initially, games were played between army teams. However, clubs were soon set up around
the country. The first "native" team to achieve success was Sovabazar Club, which won the
Trades Cup in 1892. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club was set up in what is now West Bengal in
1889. The club became famous in 1911 when it became the first Indian team to lift the IFA
Shield, a tournament previously won only by British teams based in India. It defeated the
Eastern Yorkshire Regiment 2-1 in the final of the tournament in a victory that is still
regarded by many as the greatest by an Indian team before Independence.

The Indian Football Association (IFA) was established in Calcutta in 1893, but did not have a
single Indian on its board until the 1930s. The National Football League, established in 1996
by the All India Football Federation was the first semi-professional football league in India.
Since its founding, however, many other leagues have been founded in India. In a study made
by FIFA in 2006 there are around 6,540 clubs registered with the AIFF.

I-League

The I-League was founded in 2006 after India's former top league the National Football
League disbanded in a successful effort aimed at increasing the game in India. Links with
clubs that were not in the I-League were maintained, and each season the bottom two clubs
are relegated from the I-League and replaced by two from the I-League 2nd Division. The I-
League is contested between 14 clubs each season.

I-League 2nd Division

The I-League 2nd Division ranks second in the hierarchy of Indian football since the
disbanding of India's top league in 2005. The I-League 2nd Division has 21 member clubs
evenly divided among three divisions. Promotion and relegation of clubs still takes place
between the I-league and the I-League 2nd Division.

State League football

State league football is considered the best amateur leagues in India. Each state has there own
league in India. There is no promotion/relegation between the state leagues and the I-League
2nd Division but there could be promotion/relegation between leagues within the state
(example: the Calcutta Football League has three divisions with promotion/relegation but the
winner of the Calcutta Football League will not get promoted to the I-League 2nd Division.

Youth Leagues

Right now the official youth league in India is the I-League U19 which was won by JCT FC
in 2011. The formate for the 2012 I-League U19 has not yet been announced.

D. Cup Competitions

Federation Cup: - The Federation Cup (abbreviated as Fed cup) is an annual knockout style
club football tournament in India. It has started in 1977. From its inception till I-League has
been started in 1997 (then called NFL), it was the most prestigious national level club

9

football tournament in India. Presently it is the most important club tournament after I-
league. Winning club of Federation cup gets a chance to compete in the continental level in
AFC Champions League along with I-league champion team.

Durand Cup: - The Durand Football Tournament was started by then, India's Foreign
Secretary, Mortimer Durand at Simla, India, in 1888, initial matches were played in Dagshai.
It was basically initiated, as a recreation for British troops stationed in India. The Durand Cup
was twice suspended, during the two world wars. In 1940 the venue was shifted to New
Delhi.

Indian Super Cup: - The Indian Super Cup is a one-off annual Indian club association
football match contested between the I-League champions and the Federation Cup winners. If
the I-League champions also won the Federation Cup then the league runners-up provide the
opposition. The winners of the game receive the Shield as a trophy for the year, while players
also receive individual winners medals.

Santosh Trophy: - Santosh Trophy is an annual Indian football tournament which is contested
by states and government institutions. The first winners were Bengal, who also lead the all-
time winners list with 31 titles till date.

IFA Shield: - The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian
Football Association. It is the fourth oldest club cup competition in the world (Started in
1893) after the English and Scottish FA cup's and the Durand Cup.

E. List of Popular Current Football Clubs

State  Club  City Number
Andaman & Nicobar - -
0
Islands
Andhra Pradesh  Deccan FC  Hyderabad
 Hyderabad Globe  Hyderabad 2
FC
Arunachal Pradesh - - 0
Assam  Assam Dynamo
Club  Guwahati
 Assam Police
(football club)  Guwahati
 Assam Police
Blues  Guwahati
 Assam Rifles
(football club)  Guwahati 12
 Assam State
Electricity Board
(football club)  Guwahati
 Gauhati Town
Club  Guwahati
 Jewel Star Club  Guwahati
 Oil India Ltd

10

(football club)  Duliajan
 Nirvana FC  Guwahati
 Maharana AC  Guwahati
 Northern Frontier
Railway SC  Guwahati
 Williamson
Magor Academy  Guwahati
Bihar - - 0
Chandigarh - - 0
Chhattisgarh - - 0
Daman & Diu  Maradona FC  Diu 1
Delhi  Ahbab football
Club  Delhi
 Ambedkar
Football Club  Shakarpur
 BB Star Delhi  Delhi
 Delhi United FC  Delhi
 Dwarka FC  Dwarka
 Delhi Cantt FC  Delhi Cantt.
 Garhwal Heroes  New Delhi
 Hindustan
Football Club  New Delhi
 Indian Arrows  Delhi
 Indian Nationals
FC  Delhi
 New Delhi
Heroes FC  New Delhi 22
 Moonlight FC  Delhi
 Mughals FC  Delhi
 Magic Bus FC  East Delhi
 Parvana Royals
FC  New Delhi
 Royal FC (Delhi)  Delhi
 Shastri FC  New Delhi
 Shahdara FC  Delhi
 Simla Youngs FC  New Delhi
 Samarth Gupta
FC  New Delhi
 DFC Delhi
Football Club  Delhi
 God Grace
Football Club  Delhi
Goa  Brijesh FC  Ponda
 Churchill
Brothers SC  Margao
10
 Dempo SC  Panjim
 Don Bosco
School FC  Panjim

11

 Goa Police
(football club)  Panjim
 Salgaocar SC  Vasco
 Vasco Sports
Club  Vasco
 Sporting Clube de
Goa  Margao
 SESA Football
Academy  Panjim
 Fransa-Pax FC  Margao
Gujarat  Black Scorpions  Bharuch
FC
 Dodgers FC  Vadodara
 Rangers FC
(Vadodara)  Vadodara
 Titans Football 6
Club  Vadodara
 Surat FC  Surat
 Rising Sun
Soccer Academy

 Ahmedabad
Haryana  Amity United
Football Club  Gurgaon
 Goal Busters F.C  Faridabad
4
 Karnal Villa CF  Karnal
 Young Star
Football Club  Faridabad
Himachal Pradesh  Aryans Football
Club  Bilaspur
3
 Him Club  Shimla
 Khan club  Bilaspur
Jammu & Kashmir  Azad Sporting
Union  Jammu
 FC Ladakh  Ladakh
 FC Bemina  Srinagar
 Iqbal Club  Srinagar
 Young Heroes
(football club)  Jammu
 YMCA Srinagar  Srinagar
13
 J&K FA  Srinagar
 J&K Forest Club  Srinagar
 J&K Police
Eleven  Srinagar
 J&K Sports  Srinagar
 JK Bank FC  Srinagar
 JK Solina Club  Srinagar
 Solina Football

12

Club  Srinagar
Jharkhand  Tata Football  Jamshedpur
1
Academy
Karnataka  BEML FC  Bengaluru
 Hindustan
Aeronautics
Limited Sports
Club  Bengaluru
 Indian Telephone
Industries 5
(football club)  Bengaluru
 Sports Authority
of India (football
club)  Bengaluru
 United Bangalore
FC  Bengaluru
Kerala  Chandni FC  Calicut
 Chetakal FC  Ernakulam
 Eagles FC  Kochi
 FC Kochin  Kochi
 Golden Threads  Kochi
 Josco FC  Kochi
 Kerala Police
(football club)  Trivandrum
 Kochin Port Trust 13
(football club)  Kochi
 Malabar United  Kochi
 Viva Kerala  Kochi
 State Bank of
Travancore
(football club)  Trivandrum
 Keltron FC  Trivandrum
 St. George's FC  Trivandrum
Lakshadweep Islands - - 0
Madhya Pradesh  Young Brothers  Barwani
1
Football Club
Maharashtra  Air India
(football club)  Mumbai
 Arsenal Mumbai
Supporters Club  Mumbai
 Bengal Mumbai
FC  Mumbai
26
 Big-ben Club  Nagpur
 Central Railways
 Chetak FC  Pune
 CMS Falcons FC  Pune
 Deccan 1 FC  Pune

13

 Fatima XI FC  Pune
 ICL football club  Thane
 Youngstar united  Thane

 Strikers Sports
Club  Mumbai
 Khadki Blues FC  Pune
 Kolhapur Police
(football club)  Kolhapur
 Kenkre FC  Mumbai
 Maratha United
Football Club  Mumbai
 Mumbai FC  Mumbai
 Navi Mumbai FC  Navi Mumbai
 New Global Club  Nagpur
 PIFA FC  Mumbai
 Pune FC  Pune
 Sunday Boys
Football Club  Mumbai

 State Bank of
India (football  Mumbai
club)
 Western Railway
 ONGC FC  Mumbai
 South-East-
Central Railway
Sports Club  Mumbai
Manipur  Antique Football
Club
Namdunlong  Imphal
 Manipur Police
3
(football club)  Imphal
 North Imphal
Sporting
Association  Imphal
Maghalaya  Ar-Hima  Shillong
 Laitumkhrah FC  Shillong
 Lajong FC  Shillong
 Langsning FC  Shillong 6
 Meghalaya Police
Football Team  Shillong
 Royal
Wahingdoh FC  Shillong
Mizoram  Mizoram Police  Aizawl
1
(football club)
Nagaland  Nagaland Police  Kohima 1

14

(football club)
Orissa  Jorba Durga Club  Bhubaneswar 1
Pondicherry - - 0
Punjab  Border Security
Force (football
club)  Jalandhar
 JCT Mills FC  Phagwara
 Punjab State
5
Electricity Board
(football club)  Mohali
 FC Punjab Police  Jalandhar
 Vikram Jeet
Football Club  Ludhiana
Rajasthan  Jaipur FC  Jaipur 1
Sikkim  Denzong Boys
FC  Gantok
2
 United Sikkim
FC  Gantok
Tamil Nadu  Harvesters NYC  Ooty
 Indian Bank
Recreational Club  Chennai
 Mahogany FC  Chennai
 Nethaji sports
club  Chennai
 Southern Railway
(football club)  Chennai
9
 Integral Coach
Factory (football
club)  Chennai
 Kodaikanal
Soccer Club  Kodaikanal
 Octopus Marine
SC  Chennai
 PSG Tech FC  Chennai
Tripura  Nine Bullets  Agartala 1
Uttar Pradesh  White Eagle
Football Club  Lucknow
2
 Varanasi Kings
FC  Varanasi
Uttarakhand - - 0
West Bengal  Aikya Sanmelani
 Aryans Sports  Kolkata
Club  Kolkata
 Barisha SC  Kolkata 33
 Bata FC  Kolkata
 Bengal Nagpur  Kolkata
Railway FC

15

 Bhatri Sangha FC  Kolkata
 Bengal Trust FC  Kolkata
 Calcutta Customs  Kolkata
 Calcutta Football
Club  Kolkata
 Calcutta Port
Trust
 Chirag United FC  Kolkata
 Dalhousie AC
 East Bengal Club  Kolkata
 Eastern Railways  Kolkata
 Entally Athletic  Kolkata
Club
 George Telegraph
 Howrah Union  Kolkata
 Indian Air Force
(football club)
 West Bengal
Police (football  Kolkata
club)  Kolkata
 Tollygunge
Agragami  Kolkata
 Kidderpore SC
 Kumartuli FC  Kolkata

 Mohun Bagan  Kolkata
Athletic Club
 Kolkata
 Mohammedan
Sporting Club  Kolkata
(Kolkata)
 Mohamedan A.C.  Kolkata
 Peerless Football
Club  Kolkata
 Salkia Friends
Association  Kolkata
 Sonali Sibir
Athletic Club  Kolkata
 Sporting Union  Kolkata
 Southern Samity  Kolkata
 Wari AC  Kolkata
 Kalighat Club  Kolkata
 United Sports
Club  Kolkata

Total 184 clubs in India.

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F. Women's football
Women's football has not had the relative head start over the rest of the world that the men's
game has had, and also has not had the chance to spread through the country like its male
counterpart. The game was administerd by the Women's Football Federation of India (WFFI)
from 1975 until the early 1990s when they were absorbed into the AIFF. However, there are
complaints that women's football is treated as a poor relation to the men's game leading to
(unfulfilled) plans to de-merge the WFFI.

The women's game, like the men's game, also has its early pioneers in the state of West
Bengal. The large Kolkata teams, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, started women's club sides
in the 2000/01 season, and they participate with other teams in the Calcutta Women's
Football League. However, it has been seen recently that players from Manipur have made
advances in the game. Players from these two states make up a large part of the India
women's national football team.

The main women's national competition is played on a state vs. state basis in the Senior
Women National Championship. There are also similar national championships for junior
teams: Junior Girls National Championship (for under 19s) and the Under-17 Girls National
Championship.

Some female players have become internationally recognised. Among them are Chitra
Gangadharan selected to play for the All Asian Star team. Jaanki Kotecha was selected as
captain to the All Asian Star Team in 2008-2009, where she led her team to victory. In
February 2000, Sujata Kar and Alpana Sil became the first Indian footballers to sign a
contract outside India. They signed with the German team TSV Crailsheim, but had to return
after a month due to problems with the clearance of their international transfer.

Until 1983, women's football took part in international tournaments like the Asia Cup. For
example the team won silver in 1980 at Calicut. In later years it had become poor in status
just like its male counterpart. In the 2003 AFC Women's Championship, the Indian team was
embarrassed by a 12-0 defeat to the Chinese women's team.

The poor support of the national team by the AIFF became evident, when the team's trip to
Germany was only made possible by Non Resident Indians in the country, and by the support
of the German Football Association. Furthermore, championships are hold in remote
locations, and national media coverage is said to be restricted to state and local newspapers.

The women's game reached a new low in June 2009 when FIFA delisted the side from its
world rankings for being out of action for more than 18 months. This comes at a time when
the game is gaining in popularity amongst the younger generation as evident by the local
leagues conducted around the country. The recently concluded Mumbai Football League
2009-10 organised by the MDFA (Mumbai District Football Association) was a major
success and featured many talented players who had played for the national team.

17

G. Infrastructure
Examples of great stadiums in India are: -

1. M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai,
2. Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali, and
3. Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai;
But they are all primarily Cricket stadiums.

The best reported football stadiums in India are: -

1. Fatorda Stadium in Goa,
2. Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, and
3. Cooperage Ground in Mumbai; but
4. The best rated football stadium in India is Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in
Pune FC.

Other well known stadiums: -

Serial No. Stadium City Built Capacity
1 Salt Lake Kolkata 1984 1,20,000
2 Jawaharlal Nehru Delhi 1982 78,000
3 Jawaharlal Nehru Kochi, Kerala 1981 60,000
4 Jawaharlal Nehru Chennai, Tamil 1989 40,000
Nadu
5 Municipal Kozhi kode, 1977 35,000
Corporation Kerala
Stadium
6 Sree Kanteerava Bangaluru 1979 30,000
7 Pandit Jawaharlal Margao, Goa 1996 28,060
Nehru
8 National Stadium Delhi 1998 25,000
9 East Bengal Club Kolkata 1980 24,000
10 Mohun Bagan Kolkata 1956 22,000
Ground
11 Barasat Stadium Kolkata 1974 20,000
12 Mohammedian Kolkata 1985 20,000
Sporting Stadium
13 Brabourne Stadium Mumbai 2009 (renovated) 20,000
14 Rabindra Sarobar Kolkata 1961 17,000
15 Banglore Football Bangaluru 1989 15,000
Stadium
16 Ambedkar Stadium Delhi 1984 15,000
17 Tilak Maidan Vasco Da Gama, 1999 15,000
Goa
18 Guru Nanak Singh Ludhiana, 1998 12,000
Stadium Punjab
19 The Cooperage Mumbai 2006 12,000

18

Ground
20 Duler Ground Mapusa, Goa 2006 9,000

Most of the stadiums are 25 – 30 years old, with no renovations. The majority of the stadiums
are of capacity less than 40,000.

The reasons the football stadiums in India are rated so poorly is because of the lack of flood
lights, lack of actual seats in the stands, and because the condition of the pitches are poor. So
far only the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune has fulfilled all of those criteria
regarding seating, floodlights, and pitch condition.

H. Sponsors & Partners

Partner – IMG Reliance.

IMG Worldwide is a global sports, fashion and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees
operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG's areas of expertise are diverse and wide
ranging: IMG College is the leader in collegiate marketing, licensing and media rights.

1. IMG Media is the world‟s largest independent producer and distributor of sports
programming.
2. IMG Events and Federations owns and manages some of the most sought after events
and includes long standing associations with the world's most important sports
organizations, leagues, and federations.
3. IMG Fashion owns and operates fashion events around the world and IMG Models
represents the world's top models and leading designers.
4. IMG Art+Commerce represents the most influential photographers, art directors and
stylists.
5. IMG Clients has been the global leader in talent representation, including over 1,000
elite athletes, coaches, industry executives and prestigious sports organizations across
the sports, entertainment, fashion and media industries.
6. MG Academies is the world‟s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and
educational facility delivering sports training experiences to more than 12,000
dedicated athletes from approximately 80 countries every year.
7. IMG Consulting connects many of the world's leading brands with consumers through
access to unique sports and entertainment properties.
8. IMG Licensing is considered one of the premier independent licensing companies in
the sports, fashion and media world.

IMG Reliance (JV between IMG and Reliance Industries Limited) separately signed a 15-
year partnership with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the governing body for
football (soccer) in India. IMG Reliance, in cooperation with the AIFF, will radically
restructure, overhaul, improve, popularize and promote the game of football throughout
India, from the grassroots to the professional level.

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This agreement grants IMG Reliance all commercial rights to football across all football
properties controlled by AIFF including but not limited to the national teams and all current
and future professional leagues. Such rights include media rights, sponsorship and advertising
rights, licensing and merchandising rights, franchise rights, new league rights and any other
commercial rights attached to any of these properties.

Sponsors – Coca-Cola and Nike

India traditionally wear a blue strip. As of 2010, Nike, Inc is the kit provider to the Indian
National Football team, with Panasonic as sponsoring partner.

I-League title sponsor - ONGC

II. SYMPTOMS OF PROBLEMS
As India enters a critical phase of its footballing life, there are perhaps more questions than
answers. Questions are being raised about the health of the game in the country, especially
after teams such as JCT and Mahindra shut shop. Non-telecast of this year‟s league was
another huge setback for football in India. Described by Sepp Blatter as a sleeping giant,
India, in the eyes of many, is yet to awaken from its slumber. After repeated attempts by AFC
at nurturing the game in the country and giving it all the special attention, much more than
what the Confederation does in other developing countries, India still hasn‟t taken the final
leap – the leap to professionalism. But why are we taking so long? Why isn‟t the sport
growing in this country when we have a huge viewership of football in India? Why do we get
fans at Ambedkar sporting EPL jerseys rather than our own club jerseys? Why can‟t a
country of one billion take its team to the World Cup?

A. Poor Management & Organization
India has about 184+ registered clubs, 250+ registered coaches and 2000+ registered football
players with AIFF. But still it has not been possible to select the perfect team of 11 players
that will take the game to a satisfactory level.

There is absolutely in coordination between AIFF, State Associations and the various clubs.
This lack of communication has resulted in poor player development, improper selection,
wastage of funds, etc. Unlike BCCI, AIFF has no control over State Associations. The
organization structure is un-defined so are the responsibilities.

B. Loss of Glory
General remark by football lovers “A country of 1.21 billion people could not produce 11
players to make us a worthwhile world team!”

After all, football developed strong roots in India long before its popularity grew in Europe
and South America – our Durand Cup (1888) is the third-oldest football trophy in the world,

20

and many of our football clubs long predate the existence of FIFA. Take Spain‟s beloved
Real Madrid Club de Football, the team endorsed by FIFA as “the most successful football
club of the 20th century”. It was founded only in 1902, by which time Mohun Bagan and
other Calcutta teams had been around for many years.

Another paradox of Indian football is underachievement at the international level. For over a
decade, 1951 to 1964, India were among the best in Asia, winning the Asian Games gold
medal twice in 1951 in Delhi and 1962 in Jakarta. Twice India finished second (in 1959 and
1964) in the prestigious Merdeka football tournament in Kuala Lumpur and were runners up
in the Asia Cup at Israel in 1964.

During this time span, India finished fourth in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and was the
first Asian nation to reach the Olympic football semi final. In 1956, India beat Australia 4-2
in the quarterfinals, with a hat trick by centre forward Neville D'Souza - the first by an Asian
in the Olympics.

From 1948-1960, India played regularly and with distinction in every Olympics. India also
won the Quadrangular tournament contested between India, Burma, Sri Lanka and Pakistan,
four times from 1952-55.

However, in the recent past, successes have been limited. Since 1960, India has not qualified
for the Olympics. India has never qualified for the World Cup finals. Since 1984 India has
not made it to the Asia Cup final rounds. The last quarterfinal appearance in the Asian Games
was in 1982 at Delhi. The only achievements in the last 36 years were a bronze medal in the
1970 Bangkok Asian Games and the Indian junior team was joint winners with Iran in the
Asian Youth championships in 1974.

Since the mid-1980s, India has won the South Asia Federation (SAF) Games gold medal
thrice, in 1985 at Dhaka, 1987 at Calcutta and 1995 at Chennai and the South Asian Football
Federation (SAFF) championships four times in 1993 in Lahore, 1997 in Kathmandu, 1999 in
Goa and 2005 in Karachi. However, India's domination at the South Asian level is not as
pronounced as during the Quadrangular tournament phase in the 1950s.

Since 1982, India has hired nine foreign coaches but quality players have been very few.
Thus there are no Indian heroes for the young players to emulate. India's current foreign
coach, Englishman Bob Houghton, has indirectly admitted the paucity of football talent in the
country by stating that it is imperative to look for talent among taller and stronger NRIs in
Europe or Canada. Arbitrary selection, inadequate fitness levels, insufficient international
exposure and scant attention to age-group teams have been the bane of Indian football.

The sheer scale of the problem boggles the mind: South Korea alone won 31 Olympic medals
at Beijing in 2008, where the island state of Cuba won 24, and even famine-struck Ethiopia
tallied seven. At Beijing, the scattered nomads of Mongolia won four medals. That‟s right,
even Mongolia – a country with a population outnumbered by the Indians riding on
Mumbai‟s trains at any given moment – finished high above India in the medal standings. It
seems almost churlish to point out that Beijing was India‟s best Olympics ever.

During this entire time span, cricket achieved record heights, two world cups (1983 and
2011), 2 entries in world cup finals, 1 T20 world cup, etc.

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This increase in performance of cricketers and decrease in that of footballers reduced the
interest of football in the mind of common man. Cricket slowly became a culture of India;
overshadowing all other sports including football, hockey, tennis, athletics, etc.

In 2011, after a span of 24 years, India qualified for the AFC Cup 2012. India is ranked 146
(April 2011) in world FIFA rankings. Only one player has played in international club -
Bhaichung Bhutia. Never qualified for world cup (1950 qualification was by default since
other teams pulled out, India did not participate in spite this).

C. Player Development
India since the beginning has not given importance to grassroots of player development. The
players that currently play are those who are highly motivated to play football. India has
failed to identify talent and hence lost many good players. There is no provision of player
promotion between the teams playing for the city, state, NFL, I-League and the National
Team. Therefore, the player finds it very tough to gain recognition, which is a major de-
motivating factor. Most Indian coaches are non-certified ones. European and other Asian
countries like Japan, Korea and China have coach development programs. Coach training is
provided by experts such as Barclay‟s Premier Skills, Mainland Football, etc.

India has changed 5+ coaches for its National Team since 1999. Their general attitude is –
Coach does all magic. It is not just the coaching but also the infrastructure, player
remuneration, etc. that plays a major role in player motivation and development.

Football is a highly challenging and physical game which requires extremely superb levels of
stamina and strength. Most Indian football players are only fit for 70 minutes of the game
which is a known fact.

Currently there are no financial rewards or returns for football in India. A team that wins the
League gets merely 50 lakhs – the salary of a single player nowadays. Winning each game
gets you Rs. 35,000. In addition, the AIFF provides a subsidy of Rs. 1,200 per player and
official if the team has traveled outside the state. Only one player has played in an
international club - Bhaichung Bhutia.

To improve standards, countries like US, Saudi Arabia and South Korea play about 25
international matches per year. India barely plays 10 matches a year. Prior to the 1998 Asian
Games, held at Bangkok in December, India did not play a single practise match from
September 1997 till November 1998. There are about 185+ clubs in India but, all of them pay
lip service to youth development and rely on foreign imports. All the 10 clubs in the 10th
NFL had three foreigners in key positions like strikers, central defenders or midfielder. The
main reason for which these clubs are

D. Financial crisis
Shrinivas Dempo once said that in India, football is run by generous donors and benefactors,
not by businessmen. He is probably right. Almost all leading clubs regularly suffer losses to
the tune of 6-7 crore each year.

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Ticket sales in Kolkata and Shillong maybe sizeable, but in the rest of the country including
Goa, teams hardly get any revenue on ticket sales. As per the pattern followed last year, a
majority of the revenue earned in ticket sales goes to the Local Organising Committee or the
State Association as they are the organizers. That leaves just 30% of the revenue to the home
clubs. From this year onward, the responsibility of organizing the games will be on the home
team and they will take home the entire share of ticket sales, but a big chunk of that will go
on organizing the game. For Goan clubs, it will probably mean added financial burden
because the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG), owners of the Nehru Stadium, would be entitled
to 20% of the revenue – which means all the organizing of the game would have to be done
with the remaining 80% of the gate collection. A difficult task considering last year‟s average
gate collection in Goa was a mere 30,000-40,000 rupees. When Dempo had to shift their AFC
Cup matches to Pune, they paid a whopping 11 lacs to organize each game.

With all such expenditure incurred, it makes marketing and branding critical in order for a
club to withstand the financial pressure. It would help if there is TV coverage so that a
percentage of the TV revenue can trickle down to the clubs. For that to happen, the AIFF
needs to find a broadcaster as soon as possible. Talks were on with Sony and even
ESPNSTAR for the telecast of I-League but nothing has been revealed so far. Sunando Dhar,
I-League CEO, has assured that the League will be televised but till now nothing concrete has
happened and we are just two months away from the start of the League. If there is no
telecast of this year‟s League, it would mean disaster for Indian football.

As per the Delloitte Football Money League 2010 report, revenue for Spanish giants Real
Madrid topped the charts, crossing Euro 400 million, making them the first team in any sport
to record such revenues.

Indian football is not languishing for lack of money. It is the poor management which is
behind this mess. For example, The All India Football Federation (AIFF) signed a 10-year
Rs.2.73 billion television deal with Zee Sports last season and a seven-year deal with Nike to
supply the national team with apparel, footwear and equipment. ONGC the title sponsors of
the NFL pays the AIFF Rs.75 million per annum.

There are also annual grants from FIFA, for development of the game. The annual budgets of
the top NFL clubs like Mahindra United, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Dempo ranges from
Rs.20 to 35 million. About a 100 Indian players earn over Rs. 500,000 per season.

Top-stars like Baichung Bhutia, S. Venkatesh, Mahesh Gawli and Alvito D'Cunha get paid in
the range of Rs.15-25 million per annum.

But the main problem – improper utilization of the money.

Recent investments include, IMG Reliance = INR 7 billion investment in football in next 15
years and JSW Jindal = INR 2 billion to improve infrastructure.

To add to the shame, The All India Football Federation is planning to approach cash-rich
Indian Cricket Board for financial assistance for its national team's 2011 Asian Cup
preparations. With little funds coming from corporate houses for the 'Goal 2011 Project',
AIFF acting president Praful Patel is seeking help of his party chief Sharad Pawar to get
financial assistance to the tune of Rs 10 crore.

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E. Lack of infrastructure
A country with an area of 3,287,263 square kilometers has just one FIFA approved stadium
in Chennai, and probably 20-odd other football stadiums across the country. To attract
sizeable crowd, good stadiums is the need of the hour. The recent World Cup qualifier at the
Ambedkar stadium in New Delhi exposed us in terms of infrastructure. It was appalling to see
a World Cup qualifier played on a water logged pitch with absolutely no drainage facilities.

India currently has just two artificial turfs for football in this country- one at Salt Lake and
the other at Chowgule in Margao, Goa. Thanks to FIFA‟s “Win India with India”
programme, we got another artificial turf at Bangalore and we will be getting four more – one
at Cooperage in Bombay, two in Goa and one in Shillong. India needs more such
infrastructure in this country and better grass turfs that will attract kids to come and play
football.

One of the major reasons why cricket is a craze across the country is because every state in
India probably has at least one, if not two, good stadiums and plenty other grounds (best
example is the Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai) that attract kids to the game. It is ironic
though that the government builds cricket stadiums at the drop of a hat but the same cannot
be said about football. Thanks to the BCCI‟s financial muscle, even a far off place like
Dharamsala boasts of an IPL venue but probably doesn‟t even have a football ground.

If India is to improve as a footballing nation we need to drastically improve our
infrastructure. With the club licensing criteria being enforced by the AIFF, it will be
mandatory for clubs to have their own stadium in the recent future. But how many of our
clubs have the financial power to spend money on building a stadium? Transtadia, a premier
sports infrastructure building company, revealed that building a simple 15,000-20,000
capacity stadium will cost around 15-20 crores. Something that clubs in India will find it
difficult to manage unless they get some sort of assistance from the government? If India
were to host the World Cup, how many stadiums do we have of international standard?
Probably none at the moment that could host a game of such magnitude. When the Salt Lake
stadium was being cleared up for the Argentina v Venezuela game scheduled for September
2nd, there were snakes in the stadium and bushes and shrubs growing inside – something that
speaks about the state of football infrastructure in this country.

F. Marketing and Branding
There‟s just one match that crowds throng for in India – the Kolkata Derby. It is indeed
unfortunate that a country that has one of the highest viewership /TRP‟s during the football
World Cup, that has a fairly huge interest in the EPL/La Liga and a country that has one
billion people cannot get its stadiums even half full for its domestic league. That says it all.
Poor branding and marketing has hit the I-League and football in this country. When Samir
Thapar disbanded JCT, he said that lack of television coverage of this year‟s league was the
major factor for him deciding to close down the team. Samir said that with lack of coverage
and very few eyeballs, it was difficult to convince the company‟s shareholders that it was
worth investing in this team. Come to think of it, Samir Thapar may be indeed right.

Other sports like IPL have marketing contracts with well known agencies like O&M (Ogilvy
& Mather) every year. Each year they spend about Rs. 100 crores.

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Football matches were not even aired on TV between 2007 and 2009. It was in 2010 that a
ten year deal was signed with Zee Sports.

The match dates and timings are not printed in newspapers. No television advertisements
about NFL or I-league. Moreover, the website itself is in a poor condition. Online booking of
seats is a dream.

G. Public Interest & Media coverage
As the Indian team began losing matches one after the other, media coverage began falling.
Even domestic matches were not covered satisfactorily.

The main reason behind poor coverage was lack of audience interest. The NFL; for example,
the ninth NFL, in which there were 12 teams, playing 132 matches on a home and away
basis, total attendance was just 75,000, with an average of 5,700. These figures swelled
because of the traditional Mohun Bagan-East Bengal rivalry, with crowds of 60,000 and
55,000 attending both the matches.

Coverage of the football in national dailies is also tawdry. The sport only gets intensive
coverage in regional newspapers in Goa, West Bengal and in Kerala, that too only when a
team from that state is playing in a match.

Another major issue troubling football in India is the lack of popularity for the domestic
league. Yes a major blame for this should be put on the lack of television coverage, but the
clubs as such are not doing themselves any favours. EPL and European football is hugely
popular in India, which means there is football viewership and football is quite popular in this
country, but the same cannot be said about the domestic league. It may be the case of top
quality European football eating into the domestic league. Crowds would rather watch Messi
or Ronaldo play rather than Jeje Lalpekhlua or Climax Lawrence (Indian National Team
Skipper), which is fair enough.

Premiership clubs such as Manchester United through the Manchester United Premier Cup,
Arsenal through the Tata Tea Jaago Re tournament, Bayern Munich through the Bajaj Allianz
Talent Hunt and recently Blackburn Rovers are beginning to tap the enourmous market that
India has. But where these foreign clubs have succeeded, we have failed. Our Indian clubs
have failed to penetrate inspite of being based here. How many of our clubs have Fan
Development Programmes or Community based services that build the brand image of the
club? I would say, just a handful.

Apart from the Kolkata clubs and the clubs in the North East, none of the clubs can boast of a
huge fan following and none of the other clubs can attract huge crowds. Obviously there is
something wrong, as despite being based in their own state, the clubs are unable to attract
their own people to the stadium. Football in the north east is definitely a craze. At the
Ambedkar stadium for the India-UAE game, there was a huge presence in the crowd from
North East which speaks volumes about the popularity of football there. It‟s no surprise that
Shillong Lajong had the highest gate collection during the 2009-10 I-League and their games
used to be sold out a week before kick-off. Considering this, why haven‟t clubs in India
organized tours there and tried to cash in on the enormous market potential that the North
East has to offer? Call it a lack of vision or no interest in marketing and branding, and

25

popularizing your product. How many of our clubs in India even have websites that would
reach out to fans globally?

III. HOW OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE IMPROVED THE
GAME?
1. In Japan, the J-League started in 1993 and their football has improved rapidly. Japan
has qualified for three successive World Cups (1998, 2002 and 2006) and been Asia
Cup champions in 2000 and 2004. Proper marketing and professional administration
has led to a social revolution of football in Japan, with the emergence of community
supported football clubs. A spin-off industry for J-League merchandise exploded,
which included 1,700 branded products. The money involved in new facilities and
sponsorship deals was in the region of 700 million pounds. Clubs owned their own
stadiums, with modern gymnasiums and shops to sell merchandise. None of the
Indian clubs own their own stadiums and only a handful have easy access to modern
gymnasiums, even though the NFL is in its 10th edition. Venues for the NFL are
leased from local municipal authorities. The clubs pay lip service to youth
development and rely on foreign imports. All the 10 clubs in the 10th NFL had three
foreigners in key positions like strikers, central defenders or midfielder.

2. To improve standards, countries like US, Saudi Arabia and South Korea play about 25
international matches per year. India barely plays 10 matches a year. Prior to the 1998
Asian Games, held at Bangkok in December, India did not play a single practise
match from September 1997 till November 1998.

3. Take the success of African nations in football, for example, especially the top teams
in Nigeria and Cameroon. The African Nations Cup, an all-Africa tournament, was
covered by European television. Talent scouts regularly attend games on the
continent, and a look at the pitch in any European game demonstrates that the game
has truly global stars. Many French players are originally from Senegal and a Dutch
team has bought a large stake in a South African football franchise in order to poach
rising stars.

4. Owing to global broadcast and intensive marketing by European leagues, the
European clubs have become globally known. That India is no different is clear from
Manchester United‟s research, which claims that the club has more than 20 million
fans in India. A growing chunk of otherwise cricket crazy Indians are taking keen
interest in European, especially English, football. European clubs are reciprocating
this; after all, the size and potential of the Indian market is seductive for them as well.

5. How Korean Football is popular even when there is competition from baseball?, -
Baseball is the number one sport in South Korea and people rarely talk about football
other than the national team, even though they have hosted the World Cup and even
though Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Pohang Steelers and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma have
all won the coveted AFC Champions League. Majority of the Korean public follows
its baseball teams that are bankrolled by corporate giants like LG and Samsung but
statistics showed that K-League games have astonishingly high attendance figures.

26

According to K-League official site, 193,959 people made their presence felt in the 8
stadiums around South Korea on the opening weekend thanks to improved marketing
strategies, enhanced fixture scheduling and a good performance from the Korean
National side in Asian Cup, but that was not it. For the second round, 179,938 people
had visited the eight games. What stood out was that those who were leading this
trend were not the big clubs – Suwon Bluewings, Jeonbuk Hyundai, FC Seoul. They
were the likes of Daejeon Citizens, Gyeongnam FC, Sangju Phoenix and Daegu FC,
all of who experienced a packed house. And although the attendances shrunk after the
start of the baseball league, crowds still came to watch matches. That says it all. Even
in a country dominated by baseball, crowds still came to watch football. It is obvious
that crowds in Korea throng the stadium to watch their local heroes rather than
watching Park and Rooney play for Manchester United. Which means there is
something that those clubs are doing that we are not. It makes sense to say that Korea
after hosting the World Cup has developed a football culture. Which again comes to
the whole issue of good infrastructure that was built for the World Cup, popularity,
branding and marketing. Why can‟t we do the same? Why not have at least one world
class stadium in each I-League venue where people will throng to get their money‟s
worth even if there is a Manchester United-Arsenal game going on at the same time?
It‟s about how the clubs deliver their product to the masses and certainly this is not
happening in India. Brand building is non-existent in India.

IV. SWOT OF CURRENT STATUS

Strengths
90 minute game. Easily accepted by the audience.
Large number of clubs (185+) therefore many players, coaches, experience, etc.
Glorious history.

Weaknesses
Poor infrastructure
Poor player development/training
Financial crisis
Recent losses in international matches
Poor awareness & promotion of the game.
Poor strategy of game development

Opportunities
Popularity of International football events and icons.
Support from FIFA, AFC, International Clubs, etc.
Support from domestic Corporates.
Large population

Threats
Cricket popularity

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IV. PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED
The blame for the sorry state of affairs of football in India can be squarely put on six major
issues: -

1. Management & Organization,
2. Poor performance,
3. Financial crisis,
4. Infrastructure,
5. Marketing & Branding,
6. Media Coverage.

V. SOLUTION PLAN

Figure 1: - Overview of the Solution Plan.

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A. Organization Structure

Figure 2: - The football development cycle.

In this circular cycle, one activity supports the other. The cycle can be divided into two
halves – the left half consisting of player development and the right half comprising of the
sport development.

B. Player development

National Team

State Teams & I-League Teams

District Teams

Town/City Teams

School/College Teams

Figure 3: - Hierarchy of Player development.

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1. School/College Teams

Schools/colleges (throughout the country) will have its own team of football. Teams will be
of both men & women. Schools/college groups will be associated with the SAI (Sports
Authority of India) for training. SAI will provide open spaces and grounds for training.
School/college grounds will also be used for this purpose.

The training will be imparted by the 185+ clubs that have been registered with the AIFF.
Each club will have to mandatorily train players at the grassroots level. Each club will be
allocated maximum 5 schools/colleges or 250 children, whichever higher.

The coaches will be selected by the club itself. However the coaches will have to be certified
by the AIFF (help of Barclay‟s Premier Skills partnership program).

Each student records will be maintained systematically. This data will be scrutinized for
selection purposes. Every student will get certificates/recognition awards for excellence.

Matches will be primarily played inter-school/college. The potential students will be selected
for the Town/City teams. Selection procedure will be transparent.

Students will pay fees for coaching to the respective clubs. Coaching fees will be regulated
by AIFF.

Grants and technical assistance from FIFA, AFC, Corporates, etc. will be utilized for the
grassroots program. Sponsorship will be allowed.

2. Town/City Teams

AIFF will govern a total of 100 town/city teams. Team training will be imparted by 100 clubs
selected from the 185+ registered clubs. The team names must bear the name of the
city/town along with the club name. International clubs are also allowed. 1 club – 1 city/town
team rule.

30

Players – selected from inter-school/college tournaments. Total of 14 players in each team
(11+3). Sum total = 1400 players.

Coach – Selected by AIFF coach development program in association with Barclay‟s Premier
Skills. Total 100 coaches allocated.

Infrastructure – AIFF will allocate grounds for practice. Kits and other materials will also be
provided. The kits will mostly be arranged via the sponsors. Sponsorship will be allowed.

Players will be paid Rs. 10,000 per month – Rs. 1,20,000 per annum.
Coaches will be paid Rs. 20,000 per month – Rs. 2,40,000 per annum.

Tournament – Inter-city/town all India level. Name – Santosh Trophy.

This will give base for selection of District level teams.

3. District Teams

Each district team = players selected from 2 town/city teams.

AIFF will govern a total of 50 district teams. Team training will be imparted by 50 clubs
selected from the 185+ registered clubs. The team names must bear the name of the district
along with the club name. International clubs allowed. 1 club – 1 district team rule.

Players – selected from inter-town/city tournaments. Total of 14 players in each team (11+3).
Sum total = 700 players.




Tournament – Inter-district all India level. Name – IFA Shield.

This will give base for selection of State level teams.

4. State Teams

Each district team = players selected from district teams (or town/city teams). The state teams
will be developed by the respective state associations. These state associations will be in-turn
governed by AIFF. The state associations can also outsource the training to clubs or
international groups. 1 state association – 1 state team rule.

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AIFF will govern a total of 35 district teams. Larger states will have more districts while
smaller states will have lesser districts.

Players – selected from inter-town/city tournaments. Total of 14 players in each team (11+3).
Sum total = 490 players.




Tournament – Inter-state all India level. Name – Durand Cup.

This will give base for selection of I-League and National teams.

5. Aim of Player Development

The main aim is to promote football at the grassroots level. Player identification and
nurturing talent will be given prime importance. The whole structure has been designed for
the growth of potential players.

Partnerships with FIFA, AFC and other International clubs will be promoted.

C. Sport Development

1. I-League
Aim: - Promote the game and generate interest among the people.
Format: - Commercial.
Objectives: - Financial gains, Marketing & Branding of football, Infrastructure development.

 Organization: -

Total 32 teams: -

14 Indian teams – Owned by bidding process.
6 open teams – Top 6 teams from the Durand Cup (Inter-state tournament).
12 teams – International (4 European + Others).

The 14 Indian teams
Type: - Permanent teams of I-League

Payers: -

32

Indian teams – Minimum 70% Indians. .
Players will be selected by bidding process.

Bidding for teams: -

Minimum amount of bid for each of the 14 Indian teams – Rs. 150 crore.
Acquisition type: - Franchisee for first 5 years. After 5 years = Ownership.
International bidders allowed. Maximum investment in each team by international investors =
35%.
One team cannot bid for players beyond Rs. 25 crore.
One bidder – 1 team maximum.

Fees from investors: -

Bid price for team (minimum Rs. 150 crores per team).
Rs. 10 crore each season.
Stadium development fees.
20% of earnings from in-stadium sponsorship.

The 12 international teams

Type: - Permanent I-League teams for 15 years. Team type: - Ownership.
Players: - Maximum 70% Non-Indians. Rest must be Indian players.

Selection condition: -
Rs. 200 crore payment of fees – one time.
Rs. 10 crore each season.
Stadium development fees.
20% of earnings from in-stadium sponsorship.
Investment in developing football in India – start football training schools in India.

6 open teams

Type: - Temporary. Selection based on performance in Durand Cup.
Players: - All Indians.
Fees: - Nil.

 Infrastructure: -

The 14 Indian teams

Develop 4 FIFA and Olympic standard stadiums. The 14 teams will jointly own the 4
stadiums for 15 years.
Type: - Build, earn and transfer.

80% of the in-stadium sponsorship = taken by the 14 teams. 20% will be taken by AIFF.
Earning from ticket sales = 100% taken by the 14 teams.

33

Other games held in the stadium – decision jointly taken by the 14 teams and AIFF.
Maintenance of stadiums – by 14 teams.

AIFF has full right to utilize the stadiums for holding matches.

Land owner = AIFF.

The 12 International teams

Develop 4 FIFA and Olympic standard stadiums. The 12 teams will jointly own the 4
stadiums for 15 years.
Type: - Build, earn and transfer.

80% of the in-stadium sponsorship = taken by the 14 teams. 20% will be taken by AIFF.
Earning from ticket sales = 100% taken by the 14 teams.

Other games held in the stadium – decision jointly taken by the 14 teams and AIFF.
Maintenance of stadiums – by 14 teams.
AIFF has full right to utilize the stadiums for holding matches.
Land owner = AIFF.

 Marketing & Branding: -

I-League will be the main attraction tournament of the AIFF. The entire marketing &
branding will be outsourced to advertising and branding agencies like that of IPL. Contract
will be of annual type.

 Financial Overview: -

Modeled on the financials of IPL. For year one of the plan. All figures are approx. 50% of
IPL (I expect at least ½ of IPL money generation)

Earnings Rupees
Sale of 14 Indian Teams. (Minimum Rs. 150 crore each) = Rs. 150 Rs. 2100 crores
crore X 14 = 2100 crores
Sale of 12 International spots in I-League. Rs. 200 crore for each Rs. 2400 crores
spot. 200 X 12 = 2400
Participation fees from 14 Indian + 12 International teams. Rs 10 Rs. 260 crores
crore X 26 = 260 crores.
Title sponsorship of I-League. For first 5 years = Rs. 200 crore. Rs. 200 crore.
Henceforth, every year Rs. 50 crore.
Associate sponsorship. For first 5 years = Rs. 200 crore. Rs. 200 crore.
Telecast on TV for 10 years (IPL fetched Rs. 5000 crores) Rs. 3000 crores
In-stadium advertising (20% of total) Rs. 500 crore
Total Rs. 8660 crores

34

Utilization Rupees
Purchase of land for 8 stadiums developed by I-League team Rs. 240 crores.
franchaise/owners. Approx. Rs. 30 crore each. 30X 8 = 240
Purchase of land for 100 town/city level training. Each ground Rs. 15 Rs. 1500 crores.
crore (including developmental expenses) 15 X 100
Purchase of land for 50 district level training. Each ground Rs. 15 Rs. 750 crores.
crore (including developmental expenses) 15 X 50
Purchase of land for 35 state level training. Each ground Rs. 15 crore Rs. 525 crores.
(including developmental expenses) 15 X 35
Coach + Player fees of 100 town/city clubs. Rs. 19.2 crores
Coach = 100 X 2,40,000 = 2,40,00,000
Player = 100 X 14 X 1,20,000 = 16,80,00,000
Coach + Player fees of 50 district clubs. Rs. 14.4 crores
Coach = 50 X 3,60,000 = 1,80,00,000
Player = 50 X 14 X 1,80,000 = 12,60,00,000
Coach + Player fees of 35 state clubs. Rs. 16.4 crores
Coach = 35 X 4,80,000 = 1,68,00,000
Player = 35 X 14 X 3,00,000 = 14,70,00,000
Maintenance & Administration expenses for town/city, district and Rs. 60 crores
state teams.
Maintenance and face-lift of existing 13 football stadiums across Rs. 260 crores
India for matches. Rs. 20 crore each.
Marketing of I-League and other events Rs. 100 crores.
Office expenses (AIFF+State associations+ District + Rs. 500 crores.
City/town+auditing+travelling)
Expenses Rs. 3985 crores
Investment in FD/other investments at about 8% rate of return Rs. 4675 crores
annually.

Financials for year two - five of the plan.

Earnings Rupees
Participation fees from 14 Indian + 12 International teams. Rs 10 Rs. 260 crores
crore X 26 = 260 crores.
In-stadium advertising (20% of total) Rs. 500 crore
8% from investments. Rs. 374 crores

Utilization Rupees
Coach + Player fees of 100 town/city clubs. Rs. 19.2 crores
Coach = 100 X 2,40,000 = 2,40,00,000
Player = 100 X 14 X 1,20,000 = 16,80,00,000
Coach + Player fees of 50 district clubs. Rs. 14.4 crores
Coach = 50 X 3,60,000 = 1,80,00,000
Player = 50 X 14 X 1,80,000 = 12,60,00,000
Coach + Player fees of 35 state clubs. Rs. 16.4 crores
Coach = 35 X 4,80,000 = 1,68,00,000

35

Player = 35 X 14 X 3,00,000 = 14,70,00,000
Maintenance & Administration expenses for town/city, district and Rs. 60 crores
state teams.
Maintenance and face-lift of existing 13 football stadiums across Rs. 65 crores
India for matches. Rs. 5 crore each.
Marketing of I-League and other events Rs. 100 crores.
Office expenses (AIFF+State associations+ District + Rs. 500 crores.
City/town+auditing+travelling)
Profit Rs. 359 crores

The earnings are substantially less as compared to the earnings from a typical IPL season =
Rs. 5000 crores.

D. Coach Development

To ensure proper training, coaches will have to undergo tests and examinations. These will be
carried out with the help of Barclay‟s Premier Skills Academy.

Only certified coaches will be allowed to teach under all AIFF affiliated institutions.

E. Media Coverage

Obtained by Corporate involvement. The I-League owners will definitely promote their clubs
with the help of well known personalities (flim stars, socialities, models, etc.) to attract
sponsors.

Automatically there will be a good coverage by the media.

F. Control
Annual Audit = By AIFF and a private firm.
International Audit = By FIFA officials (if possible).

VII. GOVERNMENT ROLE IN PROMOTING FOOTBALL
The government plays a crucial role in promoting sports in a country. The government and
governmental organizations constitute the public sector of the sports industry, which is
responsible in making sports policies, allocating grants for developing infrastructure,
nurturing talents and designing specialized programmes for overall development of sports.

The year 1982 was significant in the history of sports in India. In that year, India organized
the Asian Games for the first time. Prior to that, not much emphasis had been given to sports
in public policies. The following table represents the gradual increase in fund allocation for
sports since the sixth Five Year Plan:

36

Five Year Duration Allocation for Sports
Plan (INR million)
6th 1980-1985 270
7th 1985-1989 2,070
8th 1992-1997 2,100
9th 1997-2002 4,730
10th 2002-2007 11,450
11th 2007-2012 46,360

Despite a significant increase in the fund allocation, it is pertinent to mention that not more
than 1% of budgetary allocation has been directed to sports in India.

The Panchyat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) had been introduced to inculcate
sports culture at the grass-root level by encouraging the youth of village and district levels to
participate in sports. To achieve this objective, Rs. 1500 crore had been approved by the
Planning Commission of India in the eleventh Five Year Plan and Rs. 92 crore and Rs. 160
crore had already been allocated for 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 respectively.

Despite these efforts, the performance of Indian athletes at the international level is not very
convincing. Therefore, a few steps may be recommended to make these initiatives more
comprehensive: -

1. The allocation of funds, as the percentage of budget, should be increased to broad-
base sports in the country.
2. Sports should be made as an integral part of the education system to inculcate sports
culture from the school level.
3. The effectiveness of the developmental projects should be evaluated periodically.
4. Uniformity should be maintained in sports specific activities of various states of India
to provide equal participation opportunity to its citizens.
5. A structure of good governance should be incorporated to make the system
transparent and accountable.

To revive sports culture, the government should revisit the sporting framework of India.
Otherwise, the immense potential of the country in sports can never be realized. It can be
expected that the government will play a proactive role in promoting sports in India to
establish the country as a sporting nation.

A Little help from the Government

The following are certain areas where help from the Indian and State Government is needed/
would be of great help to boost football development: -

1. Restructuring AIFF – involving fewer politicians and more of sports personalities and
people who genuinely contribute to development of the game.
2. Granting quick permissions/ approvals for infrastructure development.
3. Allowing foreign investments and clubs to operate effectively.

37

4. Reducing direct and indirect taxes in all areas like – entertainment tax, taxes on
equipments, infrastructure development, etc.
5. Allowing the use of Government owned infrastructure (ground, equipments, etc.) for
training/ practice and tournament purposes.
6. Encouraging government aided schools to adopt sports in their curriculum.
7. Initiating National Awards and Recognition Schemes.

Main Schemes via SAI (Sports Authority of India) – Should be taken advantage
of for Football development.

A. Sports Development

1. National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC)
Started in 1985, this scheme attempts to identify talented school children in the age group of
9 to 12 years. Following selection, these children are admitted in SAI adopted schools (of
which there are 58 at present) where their board, lodging and tuition fees are met by SAI. SAI
also provides coaches and special infrastructure facilities to these schools, along with
recurring grants for maintenance and equipment.

2. Special Area Games
This scheme, started in 1985, aims at identifying population groups and regions where natural
talent and aptitude for a particular sport exists.

3. Sports Projects Development Area (SPDA)
This Scheme, started in 1988, aims at providing basic sports facilities at 78 locations
throughout the country, where a comprehensive and integrated system of coaching and
training is provided to talented young sportspersons in the age group of 9 to 14 years. This is
aimed at providing in-house facilities to the talented youth in their own states. A maximum of
three Olympic disciplines, in addition to one indigenous game, are offered for training. Three
Olympic disciplines should generally include at least one of the three mother disciplines, i.e.
athletics, gymnastics, swimming in each centre. Thirty out of 34 SPDA Centres have started
functioning, with a total strength of 679 sportspersons. An amount of Rs. 1.00 crore is
budgeted for the construction of these Centres (met equally by the Centre and the concerned
State), and all running costs are met by SAI.
4. Sports Hostel Scheme
This Scheme was introduced to provide basic facilities in each State and National level
Championships. All running costs, including equipment, training, etc. are provided by SAI.
Each hostel has a sanctioned strength of 50 boys and 30 girls. 18 hostels have so far been
established with 895 children.

5. Boys Sports Companies in the Army
This scheme is an extension of the N.S.T.C. scheme and was approved for implementation
from the year 1991-92. SAI and Army authorities have jointly launched this Scheme to scout
talented boys upto the age of 14 years from rural, semi urban and tribal areas and train them
in sports.

6. National Coaching Scheme

38

Indian Football Development Plan

Indian Football Development Plan

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