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India was not at the World Cup, but the tournament drew huge interest from within the country. This has happened before but now comes with significant, and necessary, changes in the domestic game that could transform a quadrennial passion into perennial interest.
After more than a year of negative headlines regarding the Indian Super League, the country’s top tier will kick off on 4 September. “The timing couldn’t be better,” says Ravi Puskur, chief executive of the ISL’s FC Goa who last season won the Super Cup, India’s top knockout competition. “A World Cup that was not ideal in terms of viewing times has drawn strong interest and support from the Indian market. It does something a domestic league alone can’t do; it puts football at the centre of the conversation.”
Puskur and his 13 fellow club bosses in the ISL, which started in 2014, are determined to ride this wave. “Our job now is to give fans a reason to transfer that excitement to their local club,” he says.
Just starting on time would be a positive given the five-month delay to the 2025-26 season after the failure of the All India Football Federation to find a commercial partner when its 15-year masters rights agreement with Reliance had come to an end. That led to clubs suspending operations, players leaving and doubts as to whether the ISL had a future. In the end, there was a truncated 13-game campaign.
The new season is scheduled to run for eight months with a full 26 game home-and-away schedule, and that is not the only reason for optimism. In an organisational change, the 14 clubs have been given control of the commercial, marketing and sponsorship side of things, while the AIFF (which hopes to change its name to the Bharat Football Federation) keeps administrative and governance oversight. In short, the teams now have a say in their destiny off the pitch as well as on it.
“It is about starting afresh and building on this,” says Shaji Prabhakaran, the former AIFF general secretary. “The advantage is that they have resolved everything early and, at the moment, everyone is hooked on football, so finding broadcasters and investment should be easier.”
Puskur was involved in negotiating the new arrangement and is ready to make the most of it. “When you’re not spending your energy firefighting administrative uncertainty, you can focus on building squads, fan experience and commercial partnerships,” he says.
“That’s the difference this year. The old model meant clubs had very little say in how the league was packaged and sold. Now the clubs hold the broadcast and sponsorship rights directly. It puts the incentive to grow the league’s commercial value in the hands of the people who are most invested in it growing.”
It has taken 12 years to get here. In 2014, the ISL’s eight founder clubs contained famous players such as Nicolas Anelka and Alessandro Del Piero and coaches such as Peter Reid and Zico, which attracted big crowds. The stars and, to an extent, the fans have gone and this is something of a reboot. Owners are accustomed to losing money, but the hope is that the league appears to be facing in the right direction.
“Clubs have to think long term and look ahead four years and more,” Prabhakaran says. “They have to strengthen every aspect. It can’t just be all about the first team. They need to ask where they want to be in 10 years.”
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Finding the right broadcasting partner is key. “The initial value won’t be high, but the World Cup helps,” Prabhakaran says. “They need a stable broadcaster who is ready to build the property and then think of monetising in three or four years.”
Rebuilding public confidence after last season is a priority for Puskur. “Broadcasters, sponsors and fans all commit more when they trust the calendar won’t move under them.” He is also calling for real investment in youth and domestic talent to increase the domestic pool. “If ISL clubs can hold their own in the AFC [Asian Football Confederation] competitions, that changes how the whole league is perceived.”
If it all comes together then in summers to come, India may well join the global party. “The World Cup has energised the whole population,” Prabhakaran says, “and there is an obvious question: ‘Why India is not there?’ The next question has to be: ‘What are we doing to change that?’ So we have to support the clubs and the leagues and give these millions of football discussions that are happening somewhere to go now that the World Cup is over.”
