Indian Football Development Ronak Totlani Mahindra Rise

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INDIAN FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Compiled By –

Ronak Totlani

1 Ronak Narendra Totlani

CONTENTS

Serial No. Topic Page No.

1

Introduction

Structure

The National Indian Football

Statistics

History

Competitive Record

The Indian Football Leagues

I-League

I-League 2nd Division

State League football

Youth Leagues

Cup Competitions

List of Popular Current Football Clubs

Women's football

Infrastructure

Sponsors & Partners

3

3

3

3

4

7

8

9

9

9

9

9

10

17

18

19

2

Symptoms of problems

Poor Management & Organization

Loss of Glory

Player Development

Financial crisis

Lack of infrastructure

Marketing and Branding

Public Interest & Media coverage

20

20

20

22

22

24

24

25

3 How other countries have improved the game? 26

4 SWOT of current status 27

5 Problems Identified 28

6

Solution Plan Organization Structure

Player Development

School/College Teams

Town/City Teams

District Teams

State Teams

Aim of Player Development

Sport Development

I-League

Organization

Infrastructure

Marketing & Branding

Financial Overview

Coach Development

Media Coverage

Control

28

29

29

30

30

31

31

32

32

32

32

33

34

34

35

36

36


7

Government Role

A Little help from the Government

Main Schemes via SAI (Sports Authority of India) –

Should be taken advantage of for Football

development.

Problems with the above Schemes

36

37

38

43

8

Rays of hope

Extracts from tam sports data of 2009

Some examples of Overseas help

Observed Money generation capacity

43

43

49

49

9 References 50


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)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_India_Football_Federation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Football_Confederation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Cup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_World_Cup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_women%27s_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_Authority_of_India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_national_cricket_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawaharlal_Nehru_Stadium,_Delhi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_FIFA_country_codes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Rankings

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climax_Lawrence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaichung_Bhutia


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:India_FA.svg


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: -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_FIFA_World_Cup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFC_Asian_Cup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_AFC_Asian_Cup


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_national_association_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Football_Confederation


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_national_football_team



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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barefoot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Summer_Olympics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shailen_Manna

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951_Asian_Games

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslavia_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcutta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhaka


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_D%27Souza

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslavia_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria_national_football_team


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_Republic_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkok


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.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_National_Football_Team


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhaka


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Constantine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syed_Nayeemuddin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_AFC_Asian_Cup_qualification

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Houghton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Houghton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Nehru_Cup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_AFC_Challenge_Cup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikistan_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFC_Asian_Cup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Nehru_Cup


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

F

Goals

A

Goal

Difference

Points

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


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_national_football_team


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subrata_Pal


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain_national_football_team


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Taipei

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_Raja_Shaikh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunil_Chhetri

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeje_Lalpekhlua

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeje_Lalpekhlua

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Dias

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkmenistan


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guyana_national_football_team
















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.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asian_Association_of_Regional_Co-operation_Gold_Cup_1993

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asian_Gold_Cup_1995

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asian_Football_Federation_Gold_Cup_1997


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_South_Asian_Football_Federation_Gold_Cup


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAFF_Championship_2008

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_South_Asian_Football_Federation_Cup




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehru_Cup_International_Football_Tournament

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehru_Cup_International_Football_Tournament_2007

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehru_Cup_International_Football_Tournament_2009




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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohun_Bagan_Athletic_Club

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IFA_Shield


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Yorkshire_Regiment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Football_Association

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League_%28India%29



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-League

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-League_2nd_Division




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcutta_Football_League


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-League_U19

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JCT_FC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_Cup_%28India%29



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

Islands

- - 0

Andhra Pradesh Deccan FC

Hyderabad Globe

FC

Hyderabad

Hyderabad 2

Arunachal Pradesh - - 0

Assam Assam Dynamo

Club

Assam Police

(football club)

Assam Police

Blues

Assam Rifles

(football club)

Assam State

Electricity Board

(football club)

Gauhati Town

Club

Jewel Star Club

Oil India Ltd

Guwahati

Guwahati

Guwahati

Guwahati

Guwahati

Guwahati

Guwahati

12

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFC_Champions_League

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durand_Cup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Delhi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Delhi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Super_Cup


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santosh_Trophy



(football club)

Nirvana FC

Maharana AC

Northern Frontier

Railway SC

Williamson

Magor Academy

Duliajan

Guwahati

Guwahati

Guwahati

Guwahati

Bihar - - 0

Chandigarh - - 0

Chhattisgarh - - 0

Daman & Diu Maradona FC Diu 1

Delhi Ahbab football

Club

Ambedkar

Football Club

BB Star Delhi

Delhi United FC

Dwarka FC

Delhi Cantt FC

Garhwal Heroes

Hindustan

Football Club

Indian Arrows

Indian Nationals

FC

New Delhi

Heroes FC

Moonlight FC

Mughals FC

Magic Bus FC

Parvana Royals

FC

Royal FC (Delhi)

Shastri FC

Shahdara FC

Simla Youngs FC

Samarth Gupta

FC

DFC Delhi

Football Club

God Grace

Football Club

Delhi

Shakarpur

Delhi

Delhi

Dwarka

Delhi Cantt.

New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi

Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi

Delhi

East Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi

New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi

Delhi

22

Goa Brijesh FC

Churchill

Brothers SC

Dempo SC

Don Bosco

School FC

Ponda

Margao

Panjim

Panjim

10


Goa Police

(football club)

Salgaocar SC

Vasco Sports

Club

Sporting Clube de

Goa

SESA Football

Academy

Fransa-Pax FC

Panjim

Vasco

Vasco

Margao

Panjim

Margao

Gujarat Black Scorpions

FC

Dodgers FC

Rangers FC

(Vadodara)

Titans Football

Club

Surat FC

Rising Sun

Soccer Academy

Bharuch

Vadodara

Vadodara

Vadodara

Surat

Ahmedabad

6

Haryana Amity United

Football Club

Goal Busters F.C

Karnal Villa CF

Young Star

Football Club

Gurgaon

Faridabad

Karnal

Faridabad

4

Himachal Pradesh Aryans Football

Club

Him Club

Khan club

Bilaspur

Shimla

Bilaspur

3

Jammu & Kashmir Azad Sporting

Union

FC Ladakh

FC Bemina

Iqbal Club

Young Heroes

(football club)

YMCA Srinagar

J&K FA

J&K Forest Club

J&K Police

Eleven

J&K Sports

JK Bank FC

JK Solina Club

Solina Football

Jammu

Ladakh

Srinagar

Srinagar

Jammu

Srinagar

Srinagar

Srinagar

Srinagar

Srinagar

Srinagar

Srinagar

13


Club Srinagar

Jharkhand Tata Football

Academy

Jamshedpur 1

Karnataka BEML FC

Hindustan

Aeronautics

Limited Sports

Club

Indian Telephone

Industries

(football club)

Sports Authority

of India (football

club)

United Bangalore

FC

Bengaluru

Bengaluru

Bengaluru

Bengaluru

Bengaluru

5

Kerala Chandni FC

Chetakal FC

Eagles FC

FC Kochin

Golden Threads

Josco FC

Kerala Police

(football club)

Kochin Port Trust

(football club)

Malabar United

Viva Kerala

State Bank of

Travancore

(football club)

Keltron FC

St. George's FC

Calicut

Ernakulam

Kochi

Kochi

Kochi

Kochi

Trivandrum

Kochi

Kochi

Kochi

Trivandrum

Trivandrum

Trivandrum

13

Lakshadweep Islands - - 0

Madhya Pradesh Young Brothers

Football Club

Barwani 1

Maharashtra Air India

(football club)

Arsenal Mumbai

Supporters Club

Bengal Mumbai

FC

Big-ben Club

Central Railways

(football club)

Chetak FC

CMS Falcons FC

Deccan 1 FC

Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai

Nagpur

Mumbai

Pune

Pune

Pune

26


Fatima XI FC

ICL football club

Youngstar united

Strikers Sports

Club

Khadki Blues FC

Kolhapur Police

(football club)

Kenkre FC

Maratha United

Football Club

Mumbai FC

Navi Mumbai FC

New Global Club

PIFA FC

Pune FC

Sunday Boys

Football Club

State Bank of

India (football

club)

Western Railway

(football club)

ONGC FC

South-East-

Central Railway

Sports Club

Pune

Thane

Thane

Mumbai

Pune

Kolhapur

Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai

Navi Mumbai

Nagpur

Mumbai

Pune

Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai

Manipur Antique Football

Club

Namdunlong

Manipur Police

(football club)

North Imphal

Sporting

Association

Imphal

Imphal

Imphal

3

Maghalaya Ar-Hima

Laitumkhrah FC

Lajong FC

Langsning FC

Meghalaya Police

Football Team

Royal

Wahingdoh FC

Shillong

Shillong

Shillong

Shillong

Shillong

Shillong

6

Mizoram Mizoram Police

(football club)

Aizawl 1

Nagaland Nagaland Police Kohima 1


(football club)

Orissa Jorba Durga Club Bhubaneswar 1

Pondicherry - - 0

Punjab Border Security

Force (football

club)

JCT Mills FC

Punjab State

Electricity Board

(football club)

FC Punjab Police

Vikram Jeet

Football Club

Jalandhar

Phagwara

Mohali

Jalandhar

Ludhiana

5

Rajasthan Jaipur FC Jaipur 1

Sikkim Denzong Boys

FC

United Sikkim

FC

Gantok

Gantok

2

Tamil Nadu Harvesters NYC

Indian Bank

Recreational Club

Mahogany FC

Nethaji sports

club

Southern Railway

(football club)

Integral Coach

Factory (football

club)

Kodaikanal

Soccer Club

Octopus Marine

SC

PSG Tech FC

Ooty

Chennai

Chennai

Chennai

Chennai

Chennai

Kodaikanal

Chennai

Chennai

9

Tripura Nine Bullets Agartala 1

Uttar Pradesh White Eagle

Football Club

Varanasi Kings

FC

Lucknow

Varanasi

2

Uttarakhand - - 0

West Bengal Aikya Sanmelani

Aryans Sports

Club

Barisha SC

Bata FC

Bengal Nagpur

Railway FC

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

33


Bhatri Sangha FC

Bengal Trust FC

Calcutta Customs

Calcutta Football

Club

Calcutta Port

Trust

Chirag United FC

Dalhousie AC

East Bengal Club

Eastern Railways

Entally Athletic

Club

George Telegraph

Howrah Union

Indian Air Force

(football club)

West Bengal

Police (football

club)

Tollygunge

Agragami

Kidderpore SC

Kumartuli FC

Mohun Bagan

Athletic Club

Mohammedan

Sporting Club

(Kolkata)

Mohamedan A.C.

Peerless Football

Club

Salkia Friends

Association

Sonali Sibir

Athletic Club

Sporting Union

Southern Samity

Wari AC

Kalighat Club

United Sports

Club

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata

Total 184 clubs in India.


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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcutta_Women%27s_Football_League

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcutta_Women%27s_Football_League

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipur



http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chitra_Gangadharan&action=edit&redlink=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chitra_Gangadharan&action=edit&redlink=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jaanki_Kotecha&action=edit&redlink=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sujata_Kar&action=edit&redlink=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alpana_Sil&action=edit&redlink=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSV_Crailsheim

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_AFC_Women%27s_Championship

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_women%27s_national_football_team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-resident_Indian_and_Person_of_Indian_Origin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Football_Association


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

Nadu

1989 40,000

5 Municipal

Corporation

Stadium

Kozhi kode,

Kerala

1977 35,000

6 Sree Kanteerava Bangaluru 1979 30,000

7 Pandit Jawaharlal

Nehru

Margao, Goa 1996 28,060

8 National Stadium Delhi 1998 25,000

9 East Bengal Club Kolkata 1980 24,000

10 Mohun Bagan

Ground

Kolkata 1956 22,000

11 Barasat Stadium Kolkata 1974 20,000

12 Mohammedian

Sporting Stadium

Kolkata 1985 20,000

13 Brabourne Stadium Mumbai 2009 (renovated) 20,000

14 Rabindra Sarobar Kolkata 1961 17,000

15 Banglore Football

Stadium

Bangaluru 1989 15,000

16 Ambedkar Stadium Delhi 1984 15,000

17 Tilak Maidan Vasco Da Gama,

Goa

1999 15,000

18 Guru Nanak Singh

Stadium

Ludhiana,

Punjab

1998 12,000

19 The Cooperage Mumbai 2006 12,000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._A._Chidambaram_Stadium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab_Cricket_Association_Stadium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohali

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankhede_Stadium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatorda_Stadium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_Stadium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkata

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperage_Ground

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shree_Shiv_Chhatrapati_Sports_Complex

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pune_FC


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.


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,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kit_%28association_football%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panasonic


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.


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.




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.


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.


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


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.


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


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.


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

Figure 3: - Hierarchy of Player development.

National Team

State Teams & I-League Teams

District Teams

Town/City Teams

School/College Teams


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.


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.


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: -


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.


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

crore X 14 = 2100 crores

Rs. 2100 crores

Sale of 12 International spots in I-League. Rs. 200 crore for each

spot. 200 X 12 = 2400

Rs. 2400 crores

Participation fees from 14 Indian + 12 International teams. Rs 10

crore X 26 = 260 crores.

Rs. 260 crores

Title sponsorship of I-League. For first 5 years = Rs. 200 crore.

Henceforth, every year Rs. 50 crore.

Rs. 200 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


Utilization Rupees

Purchase of land for 8 stadiums developed by I-League team

franchaise/owners. Approx. Rs. 30 crore each. 30X 8 = 240

Rs. 240 crores.

Purchase of land for 100 town/city level training. Each ground Rs. 15

crore (including developmental expenses) 15 X 100

Rs. 1500 crores.

Purchase of land for 50 district level training. Each ground Rs. 15

crore (including developmental expenses) 15 X 50

Rs. 750 crores.

Purchase of land for 35 state level training. Each ground Rs. 15 crore

(including developmental expenses) 15 X 35

Rs. 525 crores.

Coach + Player fees of 100 town/city clubs.

Coach = 100 X 2,40,000 = 2,40,00,000

Player = 100 X 14 X 1,20,000 = 16,80,00,000

Rs. 19.2 crores

Coach + Player fees of 50 district clubs.

Coach = 50 X 3,60,000 = 1,80,00,000

Player = 50 X 14 X 1,80,000 = 12,60,00,000

Rs. 14.4 crores

Coach + Player fees of 35 state clubs.

Coach = 35 X 4,80,000 = 1,68,00,000

Player = 35 X 14 X 3,00,000 = 14,70,00,000

Rs. 16.4 crores

Maintenance & Administration expenses for town/city, district and

state teams.

Rs. 60 crores

Maintenance and face-lift of existing 13 football stadiums across

India for matches. Rs. 20 crore each.

Rs. 260 crores

Marketing of I-League and other events Rs. 100 crores.

Office expenses (AIFF+State associations+ District +

City/town+auditing+travelling)

Rs. 500 crores.

Expenses Rs. 3985 crores

Investment in FD/other investments at about 8% rate of return

annually.

Rs. 4675 crores


Financials for year two - five of the plan.

Earnings Rupees

Participation fees from 14 Indian + 12 International teams. Rs 10

crore X 26 = 260 crores.

Rs. 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.

Coach = 100 X 2,40,000 = 2,40,00,000

Player = 100 X 14 X 1,20,000 = 16,80,00,000

Rs. 19.2 crores

Coach + Player fees of 50 district clubs.

Coach = 50 X 3,60,000 = 1,80,00,000

Player = 50 X 14 X 1,80,000 = 12,60,00,000

Rs. 14.4 crores

Coach + Player fees of 35 state clubs.

Coach = 35 X 4,80,000 = 1,68,00,000

Rs. 16.4 crores


Player = 35 X 14 X 3,00,000 = 14,70,00,000

Maintenance & Administration expenses for town/city, district and

state teams.

Rs. 60 crores

Maintenance and face-lift of existing 13 football stadiums across

India for matches. Rs. 5 crore each.

Rs. 65 crores

Marketing of I-League and other events Rs. 100 crores.

Office expenses (AIFF+State associations+ District +

City/town+auditing+travelling)

Rs. 500 crores.


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:


Five Year

Plan

Duration Allocation for Sports

(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.


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


The National Coaching Scheme, which was first introduced in 1955, is meant to encourage

people to take up coaching. Under the Scheme, coaches are made available to States/UTs for

State coaching centres, district coaching and university field stations and also to national

sports federations/associations. Coaches are also deployed in SAI regional centres, academic

wings and in house training centres. At present, the total strength of coaches under the

scheme is 1677.

7. Sports Science Research Fellowship Scheme

The Sports Authority of India awards Sports Science Fellowships to research workers for

carrying out research in sports science related areas such as sports physiology, sports injuries,

sports big mechanics and training methods.

B. Academics in the Field of Sports

The Sports Authority of India has two functional wings relating to academics which are in the

fields of sports and physical education. These are:

1. Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala (NSNIS)

The Institute conducts academic courses for training of coaches and looks after research and

development in sports related subjects. NSNIS is the only institute of its kind in the country

and has so far trained 11,751 coaches at Patiala and at its centres at Bangalore (established in

1975), Calcutta (1983) and Gandhinagar (1987).

2. LNCPE, Trivandrum

This college was inaugurated in 1984 and is fast developing in terms of infrastructural

facilities, academic programmes and other essential requirements.

C. Welfare Funds

1. Cash Awards to Winners of Medals in International Sports Events

Special cash awards ranging from Rs. 50,000/ to Rs. 5.00 lakhs are given since 1986 for

winning medals in specified international sports events in all disciplines which are included

in the Olympic, Asian and Commonwealth Games. These awards are also given to Juniors for

winning medals in World, Asian and Commonwealth championships.

2. Sports Talent Search Scholarship Scheme

The Sports Talent search Scholarship Scheme was introduced in 1970-71. The scheme

provides facilities to talented young boys and girls studying at the secondary stage of

education and proficient in sports to develop their talent in sports and to enable them to have

nutritious diet during their studentship.

3. Scholarships for Training of Specialists and Outstanding Sportspersons

The scheme was introduced in the year 1990-91. The purpose is to equip talented outstanding

sportspersons, coaches, physical conditioning experts, sports scientists and research experts

with the latest techniques of training, coaching and research so that, in the years to come,

India could build a pool of experts who could impart training and handle national level

athletes/sportspersons.


4. Sports Fund for Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons

Government launched this new scheme from the year 1994. Under the scheme, pension is

given to sportspersons, who win medals in the Olympic games and gold medals in Asian

games.

5. National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons

The National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons (and their families) was created in 1982

primarily to assist outstanding sportspersons of yesteryears, who had won glory for the

country in sports, but are, unfortunately now living in indigent circumstances.

6. Travel Grant to Sports Specialists

The scheme of 'Travel Grant to Sports Specialists' was introduced during the year 1987 in

pursuance of the resolution of National Sports Policy, 1984. The objective of the Scheme is

to promote and encourage research and development in the field of' sports and physical

education. Under this Scheme, the Department. provides passage cost for international travel

for attending important academic conferences. etc.

7. Promotion of Sports and Physical Education among Women

The scheme is meant to encourage women by giving them attractive incentives in the form of

scholarship for furthering their achievements in studies and career in sports. A scholarship of

Rs.6000/ per annum is available to those who have emerged champions in the National

Women Championships (Senior) conducted by recognised national sports federations

according to international rules.

8. Rural Sports Programme

The scheme of Rural Sports Programme, launched in the year 1970-71 with a view to

broadbasing games and sports and tapping the hidden talent available in rural areas, was

being operated by the Department of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India.

9. Rural Sports Clubs

Under the scheme, nodal Voluntary Sports Clubs/Sports Centres, on recommendation of the

State Govts, are given one time grant upto Rs. 30,000/ for purchase of consumable and non

consumable sports equipment. In case of tribal blocks, assistance upto Rs.45,000/ is given.

This is followed by a grant of Rs. 5,000/ per annum for subsequent two years.

10. North Eastern Sports Festival

In order to broadbase games and sports in the otherwise neglected areas of the north eastern

states and to tap the hidden talent which is available in abundance there, the Govt. of India

approved the scheme in the year 1986-87 for conduct of North East Sports Festival.

11. Dr. BR. Ambedkar Rural Sports Tournaments

A countrywide programme of Rural Sports Tournaments was launched in 1970-71 to

encourage youth in rural areas to join the mainstream of the country's sports activities.

Financial assistance is made available to the States @ Rs. 2000/. per discipline upto 3

disciplines for each district level tournament and Rs. 10,000/ per discipline for State level

tournaments and Rs. 5,000/ per discipline for each Union Territory, upto five disciplines.

12. National Sports Festival for Women

The 'National Sports Festival for Women', first organised in 1975, has now become a

significant national competition for women. The programme is organised by Sports Authority


of India. For the purpose of lower level competitions, financial assistance is made available to

the States @ Rs. 1,000/ for block, Rs. 3,000/ for district and Rs.10,000/ for State level

tournaments (for bigger States) and Rs.5,000/ for smaller States/UTs.

13. Evaluation of Sports Schemes

During 1994-95, the schemes of Sports Authority of India; viz National Sports Talent

Contest, Army Boys Sports Company, special Project Development Area. Special Area

Games, National Coaching Scheme and Sports Hostel Scheme have been got evaluated by

Tata Consultancy Services and the reports submitted to Govt. are being considered for

implementation. Sports schemes of the Deptt. are also proposed to be taken up for evaluation

14. Exchange of Sports and Physical Education Teams/Experts

International cooperation in the field of sports physical education took a big leap forward,

providing the much needed opportunities of foreign exposure to national teams and

coaching/training abroad. Government of India procured the services of international

coaches/sportspersons by way of bilateral agreements under CEPs/ Sports protocols with the

concerned countries. The foreign coaches are paid air fare, salaries, TA & DA/medical

expenses & local transportation, etc. during their contract/employment in India. During the

year 11 foreign coaches/experts were working on contract basis.

D. Infrastructure Development Schemes

1. Scheme of Grants for Creation of Sports Infrastructure

This scheme has been in operation in the Department for more than 25 years. Under this

scheme, State governments, state sports councils, U.T. administrations, local statutory bodies

and registered voluntary organisations can avail assistance for creation of various kinds of

sports infrastructure like play fields, indoor and outdoor stadia, swimming pools, veledrome

and sports hostels. Grants for establishment of SPDA centres, district level sports comlexes

and State sports training complexes are admissible only to State Governments. The grant

admissible is 50% of the estimated cost subject to stipulated ceilings. The maximum grant for

a State level training complex is Rs. 2 crore.

2. Grant to Rural Schools for Playfields & Sports Equipment

This is a sub scheme of the main Scheme of Grants for Creation of Sports Infrastructure.

Under this scheme, a Secondary and Senior Secondary School, fulfilling the prescribed

conditions and located in a rural area, is entitled to claim a one time maximum assistance of

Rs.1 lakh for development of a play field or purchase of nonconsumable sports equipment or

for both.

3. Grants for Sports Infrastructure in Universities/Colleges

All colleges/universities can avail assistance for creation of sports infrastructure upto 75 per

cent of the estimated cost subject to given ceiling through the University Grants Commission.

E. Motivating Awards

1. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award


The scheme was launched from the year 1991-92 with the objective of honouring most

outstanding sportspersons to enhance their general status and to give them great dignity and

place of honour in society. Under this scheme, an amount of Rs. 1.00 lakh is given as award

for the most spectacular and outstanding performance in the field of sports by an individual

sportsperson or a team.

2. Arjuna Award

The Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961 as the highest national recognition of distinguished

sportspersons. The awardee is given a bronze statuette of Arjuna, a scroll, and a cash prize

along with a monogram, a blazer and a tie.

3. Dronacharya Award

Dronacharya Award was instituted in 1985 to honour eminent coaches who have done

outstanding and meritorious 'work on consistent basis, to motivate them to dedicate

themselves with a singularity of purpose for raising the standards of sportspersons to highest

performance in international events and bring glory to the country. The award is given to

those who have produced outstanding achievements consistently during three years preceding

the Award. Those who have contributed their life time to sports and sports promotion are also

considered for this award. Every awardee is given a cash prize of Rs. 75,000/ alongwith a

bronze statue of Dronacharya, a scroll, a suit, a blazer and a tie.

F. Latest Initiatives

1. Central Pool of Technical Sports Equipment

SAI maintains a central pool of technical sports equipment at corporate office from which

equipment is given on loan to the sports federations/associations, govt. departments/agencies,

educational institutions, sports bodies and other organisations involved in the promotion of

sports in the country, for conducting coaching camps, sports meets etc.

2. Involvement of Business Undertakings in Development of Sports

Many countries have started setting up national training academic and specialised centres of

sports excellence which offer all opportunities for experts for long years with the aid of

modern training equipment. With this view in mind, various public and private sector

business organisations have been approached by the Department and SAI for setting up

national and regional academies in specific sports disciplines to nurture and develop Indian

talent. Various public sector undertakings/business houses have extended their help to set up

such academies and many more are expected to come.

3. Promotion of Sports in Residential Schools and Public Sector Townships

Residential Schools

In order to broaden the base of talent scouting and nurturing in the country, SAI has decided

to extend certain facilities to the large size residential schools, including public schools. The

objective being scientific nurturing of sports potential in two disciplines in each of the

residential schools. SAI will provide qualified coaches in the identified disciplines based on

the general sports needs and availability of infrastructure in the school. Eleven coaches in the

identified disciplines have been posted in six schools so far.


Public Sector Undertaking Townships

Under the Scheme, SAI undertakes talent scouting in large size public sector townships with

the help of the management. Coaching is taken up in four sports disciplines, identified by the

concerned public sector undertaking, depending upon the playing facilities that exist. The

talented children are selected from amongst those living in the public sector township and/or

studying in the schools run by the public sector undertaking, through application of a battery

of tests formulated for the purpose. SAI provides, at its cost, one coach each for the four

discipline identified. These coaches, though primarily meant for imparting intensive training

to the sports talent selected after clearing the battery of tests, coach others also in the

township without any detriment.

Problems with the above Schemes

1. The prize money, grant, financial support is not in tune with today‟s expenses. For

example, the pension for outstanding players under the „Sports Fund for Pension to

Meritorious Sportsperson’ scheme is merely Rs. 1500/month.

2. None of the development schemes have been effectively managed.

3. Most of the people involved in the development of the game are unaware about the

various schemes.

4. Hostels provided are in a bad inhabitable state.

5. There are so many schemes, it would be better if there are few but effective ones.

VIII. RAYS OF HOPE

A. Extracts from TAM Sports Data of 2009

• Some definition of TAM terms: -

Universe - The Total/Actual number of people in a defined target audience.

Reach - Number of individuals from the universe who are exposed to the medium or vehicle.

Reach is normally expressed in Percent terms

Calculation of Reach -

Universe: 10 individuals.

For a single episode of Chhoti Maa:

if out of the above 10 people 6 saw atleast 1 minute of the programme then,

Reach:6 out of 10

Therefore, reach = 60%.

• Top 10 Viewed Sports in India: -

1. Cricket – 122 million viewers

2. Wrestling – 96 million viewers

3. Football – 83 million viewers

4. Tennis – 70 million viewers

5. Golf – 65 million viewers


6. Car/Bike Racing – 59 million viewers

7. Hockey - 35 million viewers

8. Basketball - 26 million viewers

9. Baseball - 26 million viewers

10. Billiards - 19 million viewers

• World ranking of sports in viewership: -

1. Football

2. Cricket

3. Tennis

4. Hockey

5. Baseball

6. Basketball

7. Volleyball

8. Table Tennis

9. Rugby

10. American Football (NFL) & Golf

• Reach of football (Number of audience annually) in India in the last 5 years: -

• Demographic section of football viewers: -


• Areas where football is most viewed (% of reach): -

1. Kolkata – 88%

2. West Bengal – 87%

3. Assam – 87%

4. Kerala – 76%

5. Goa – 74%

6. Delhi – 70%

Most viewers are from East India. All India reach – 66%.


• Advertising ranks in Non-cricket sports year 200 vs. 2009: -

• Growth rate in ad volumes of football vs. other sports: -

Index on Y-axis 2000 = 100%


• Number of advertisers/brands advertising during football matches: -


• Profile of advertisers: -

Telecom/Internet Service Providers + Services + Automobiles sector = 36% share of ad

volumes during football matches.


From the above data it is clearly visible that the viewership as well as advertising has

increased considerably. Reason for this increase is due to the growing support from

international clubs, FIFA and AFC.

B. Some examples of Overseas help

1. FC Barcelona Foundation, in association Rural Development Trust, started a football

academy for underprivileged children at Bhathalapally in Andhra Pradesh in 2008.

2. For the past couple of years, Chelsea and Manchester United have been taking keen

interest in India. Chelsea aided the launch of Asian Football Confederation‟s Vision

India programme and has been reportedly studying the Indian market with a view to

establish football academies. Chelsea‟s chief executive Peter Kenyon visited India

four times in 2009.

3. Manchester United has organised talent hunts by sending its renowned Manchester

United Soccer Schools‟ coaches and scouts to conduct trials.

4. United, too, is reportedly looking at India as the next big destination for their soccer

schools. United and Bharti Airtel sealed a five-year sponsorship deal worth £12

million last year, evidence of the club‟s recognition of India‟s business potential.

5. Arsenal has also been involved in talent hunt competitions in India in association with

Tata Tea at the under-15 level. Some of this interest can also be attributed to the IPL,

which showcased India as a rapidly growing sports economy.

6. FIFA invested $8 million in infrastructure mainly to build artificial football turfs in

Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Imphal and Shillong, and to renovate stadiums in Mumbai.

India is famous for its bureaucracy so it took them a lot of time to get these projects

off the ground. But once this is done thay will look at football management in India

and revenue generation. Their performance programme will tackle these issues

working directly with the AIFF.

7. In 2011, Legend Chelsea FC, reiterated the fact that Chelsea will enter the Indian

market at the opportune moment.

C. Observed Money generation capacity

1. September 2, 2011, Argentina vs. Venezuela (Lionell Messi match) earnings –

Approx. total = $4.5 million = Rs. 20 crores. (Twice the earnings of ODI.)

Telecast rights = $1 million = INR 4.5 crores.

Title sponsorship = $4,50,000 = INR 2,25,00,000

Associate sponsorship = $5,00,000 = INR 2,50,00,000

Ticket sales = $2.5 million = INR 12 crore.

One ticket range = INR 700 – 2,570.

1 corporate box = 7.5 lakhs


2. ICC cricket world cup 2011 –

Revenue - $328 million = Rs. 1476 crores

Expenses = Rs. 571crores.

Earnings = Rs. 905 crores.

3. One IPL season earnings= $1 billion = Rs. 5000 crores

IX. References

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_national_football_team

2. http://www.thehardtackle.com/2011/issues-plaguing-indian-football-infrastructure-

marketing-branding-and-league-structure-part-1/

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_football_clubs_in_India

4. http://www.fussballtempel.net/afc/IND.html

5. http://sports.indiapress.org/developments.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_national_football_team

http://www.thehardtackle.com/2011/issues-plaguing-indian-football-infrastructure-marketing-branding-and-league-structure-part-1/

http://www.thehardtackle.com/2011/issues-plaguing-indian-football-infrastructure-marketing-branding-and-league-structure-part-1/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_football_clubs_in_India

http://www.fussballtempel.net/afc/IND.html