By Manish Prabhat
Edited by Shambhavi Singh, Associate Editor, The Indian Economist
Indias leading industrialists and celebrities from sports as well as the Indian film industry have invested in owning the Indian Super Leagues eight franchises. These are based in Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. The League is committed to investing in stadium refurbishment in the eight identified venues, and also to a strong grassroots development programme that will create a platform to groom football talent in the country. For the first time in Indian football, globally renowned football players will be playing alongside the best Indian football players. With a mission to revolutionize the sport, Hero Indian Super League is positioned as a high quality and dynamic league that will elevate Indian football to the international level. The primary objective of the ISL is to engender an entertaining and high quality football league that engages hundreds of millions of fans, drives improvement in playing standards, and delivers value for all partners.
The league commenced with flying colours on 12 October 2014 in Kolkata with a high spirited crowd response. Eight franchise teams are participating in the tournament with a vision to promote Indian football to world class level. The eight participating teams are:
- Alletico De Kolkata
- Chennaiyin FC
- Delhi Dynamos FC
- Kerela Blasters FC
- Mumbai City FC
- FC Goa
- FC Pune city
- NorthEast United FC
Vision:
India becomes an international football power and qualifies for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Objectives-
- To present an international-quality domestic football competition
- To engage millions of passionate and proud Indian football fans
- To encourage and facilitate the masses to start playing the sport
- To produce a large pool of increasingly talented Indian players and heroes to play for the Indian national team
- To set new standards of sports administration, governance and marketing in India
- To deliver value to all our stakeholders and partners, and create demand for further investment
Sport has the beautiful ability to transcend boundaries, bring people from diverse backgrounds together and create an environment of optimism. The quintessence of sport can be clearly experienced in no greater form than in football. The beautiful game has successfully captured the imagination of people all over the globe. And now it is time for the football-loving people of India to join in and experience the joy of watching the birth of a football-ing nation.
The ISL is the realisation of a dream the dream of a billion plus Indians to experience and embrace the beauty of football. In building the Indian Super League we have committed to propel Indian football to its rightful place with Indian talent, facilities, passion and ambition to reach the very pinnacle of the game. Now is the time to look ahead with renewed optimism and vigour as the Hero Indian Super League takes its first steps towards creating football history and put Indian football on the world map. The game has commenced with the motto: COME ON INDIA! LETS FOOTBALL.
Manish Prabhat studies at Kirorimal College, University of Delhi. A geographer, having the desire to explore the world. He is an avid reader and loves to observe the happenings around. Loves to think on issues affecting the society when alone. Other than that he is a civil service aspirant with a hope of changing the social perspective about the needs and rights of children. He believes in respecting all rather than a particular group of people.