Indians have long nursed a smouldering passion for football and sporting clubs have been around for decades in the country. A few of these hallowed clubs are over a century old, with an illustrious history and devoted fanbase of their own. In the past though, their woeful refrain was how India had yet to make a mark on the international footballing scene. That has changed over the past few years.
When the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) gave the clarion call of ‘Let’s Football’, a new generation of football fanatics took up the cry and thus, a sports phenomenon was born. Global recognition soon followed.
Recently, the fast developing football league has been catching the attention of international investors as well. For starters, the City Football group plonked down top dollar to acquire a 65 per cent stake in the Mumbai FC in November 2019. What’s noteworthy is that the group is 78 per cent owned by the Abu Dhabi United group (ADUG), 12 per cent by the American private equity firm Silver Lake with the remainder owned by Chinese firms China Media Capital and CITIC Capital and it has stakes in in clubs in most of the football leagues globally. The most prominent is English Premier League major Manchester City FC. The City Football group’s investment in an ISL club showed that the league has arrived on the football map.
Then in mid-August 2020, ISL franchise Hyderabad FC announced that it had struck a two-year partnership with German Bundesliga giant Borussia Dortmund (BVB), the twelfth richest football team in the world. The intent: use BVB’s experience in nurturing and developing young players, and transplant that into Hyderabad’s academy structure and coaching education. The German club will impart its expertise in technology to drive innovation apart from help expand its fan base.
Moreover, the Hero ISL has also became the first league from South Asia to be inducted into the prestigious World Leagues Forum, which includes professional football leagues like La Liga, Bundesliga and Premier League, to name a few.
That India was chosen by these prestigious groups speaks volumes to ISL's contribution in exhibiting the country's potential to be the next big thing in international football. Tie-ups like these are actually advantageous for both parties – while the global players get to expand their audience and fan base in India, for the home teams it’s a chance to gain exposure and pick up new skills and techniques. It helps build synergies that make the Indian football ecosystem more diverse and competitive, while also being inclusive.
“It’s similar to how the IPL has helped India in becoming one of the strongest cricketing teams. There are expectations for the ISL to do the same for Indian football. As a sports-loving nation, we need something besides cricket and football can be a game for the masses,” said Kaushik Chakraborty, senior vice president at Vizeum India.
In some ways, the ISL is still a virgin league next to the EPL and other established brands. But it has emerged as a highly interesting property with global appeal, shared a media veteran. The upcoming season will host 74 overseas players contracted with different clubs. Such 'crossovers' will consequently raise the quality of football being played, especially since a handful of these athletes have played top-flight football in some of the biggest leagues in the world. As the ISL grows bigger in reach and repute, and more investment pours in, it will set the stage for A-list players to consider becoming a part of the league too.
Investment from foreign teams not only boosts popularity but also helps Indian sides market themselves better, noted Chakraborty.
But what about the impact of Covid2019 on ad spends?
The good news is that select advertising categories have been showing they have the appetite to spend, Covid2019 or not, during the unique confluence of the festive period and the IPL this year.
The question arises: will they continue to spend on the ISL now?
The answer is a resounding yes.
An annual event on the sports calendar, it has worked effectively for brands wanting to associate with a tent pole event that gathers a reasonably large cohort at affordable prices. ISL 2020 has already attracted sponsors – some rock solid ones. Among them: Hero, the title partner, which has been associated with the league since inception. Apollo Tyres and Nivia have signed as official partners. And more are jumping on the bandwagon.
Brands have taken a fancy to associating with the clubs as well. Puma for instance has signed on with the Mumbai FC as its kit partner; sports news site SBOTOP.net has partnered with ATK Mohun Bagan as the team’s principal sponsor.
Not to mention that the Premier League, the wealthiest and most-watched football league in the world, has come onboard as strategic partner. This, perhaps, is the biggest vote of confidence the homegrown ISL could ask for with regards to its prospects as a global player of the future.
The ISL has always believed in playing offense. With the support of its sponsors and loyal viewers, it is only a matter of time before it drives India past the goal line and puts us well and truly on the world map of football.
