MUMBAI: The Asian Football Confederation-FIFA roadmap that will see the emergence of a single league that unifies the best elements of the Hero I-League and the Hero Indian Super League will propel Indian football forward and lead to the development of a vibrant football ecosystem in the county.
This was the key message that emerged from prominent stakeholders in the football business, both within the country and global leagues, who deliberated on the topic "Future of Indian Football takes shape", during the 8th edition of the India Football Forum (IFF) powered by Hero, held at Novotel Juhu Beach, Mumbai, recently.
The IFF is the flagship conference property of SportzPower, the leading sports business media brand operating in the significant areas of media, marketing and events in India's fast growing sports industry.
The CEO of the I-League, Sunando Dhar said during a panel discussion on "The Road Ahead for Indian Club Football", that he thinks "given the size of the country, a 20-team league is not impossible in the next 10 years."
Elaborating on the achievements of AIFF's Youth League System, Dhar pointed out that the team which represented India in the FIFA U-17 World Cup was exclusively chosen from the Youth Leagues. Moreover, India reached the quarter finals of AFC U-16 Championship in 2018, and currently India is the champion of all the age-group tournaments in the South Asian Region.
In his special address, Kevin Sim, Head–APAC Bundesliga International GmbH, gave an insight into the demands of the digital age vis-a-vis digital enrichment of the in-stadium experience in the 5G era.
He said a combination of physical and digital experiences will be the demand of the day, pointing out that the Bundesliga is one of the most innovative sports leagues in the world. Sim said all innovations are customer focused (B2B & B2C), and the key success factors include systematic innovation management, agility, courage, and networking with the world of sport and technology.
Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director, LaLiga India, talked about the popular Spanish league's GloCal Strategy, which focuses on keeping a common and easily recognizable message anywhere in the world, and communicating to the audience in their language by offering relevant content.
Cachaza emphasized on the importance of OTT channels in the future by making a bold prediction that by 2023 approximately 35% of the revenues would come from OTT channels, which can be exploited through third parties or directly, and that this share would double (70%) and OTT would be the main source of income by 2029.
Mumbai City FC CEO Indranil Das Blah said that the ISL franchises were enthusiastic about a new, bigger ISL with promotion-relegation. "Contrary to popular belief, all ISL franchises are in favour of promotion-relegation because that's where the drama is. Anyone who invested thinking they'd be profitable or break even in three to five years were badly advised. All our officials were thoroughly briefed on what this is... this is a long term investment project and there will be gains in the future; we are committed to that vision."
In what is a major boost to the ISL, the City Football Group (CFG), owners of Premier League giants Manchester City FC (along with seven other clubs across the globe), recently acquired a 65% stake in Mumbai City FC, the franchise co-owned by Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor and noted chartered accountant Bimal Parekh.
In an industry presentation, Joseph Eapen, Senior VP / Director – India, SMG Insight/YouGov, highlighted the advantages for sponsors of the ISL, which he said gives significantly higher RoI than cricket. ISL lies in the sweet spot where there is high reach and high RoI, with very significant increase in awareness of brands as a result of sponsorship. Eapen showcased the ISL Advantage stressing how there is amazing recall of sponsors (present on perimeter boards and player clothing), and how the purchase intention goes up due to sponsorship.
In another industry presentation, Nilesh Kulkarni, Director, International Institute of Sports Management (IISM), pointed out the need for talent who can handle the new trends, and not just execute, but can think, innovate and create, and be ready to solve the unsolved problems. He said that sports professionals should not only understand general management, but also understand sports in depth.
Talking about the core theme of the 8th edition of the Forum, conference organiser Thomas Abraham, Co-Founder and Editorial Director, SportzPower, said: “Football is exponentially immersing itself deeper and wider as sporting share of voice among Indian consumers. And with the future roadmap for Indian domestic club football laid down, speakers and delegates at the India Football Forum 2019 were able to focus on these important aspects that will determine the growth of the Beautiful Game in India.”
The panel discussions at the India Football Forum 2019 were structured to spark conversations about the key issues faced by many in the sports industry. The day-long agenda included keynote speeches, industry presentations, and panel discussions around four main topics: "The Road Ahead for Indian Club Football"; "Building the Talent Pool from Ground Up"; "Preparing for the Digital Age"; and "Securing the Fan Experience… and the Money".
Other key speakers and panelists included Henry Menezes, CEO, Western India Football Association (WIFA); Jitendra Joshi, Co-Founder & Director, Sportz Village Xp; Arunava Chaudhuri, Football Strategist & Media Professional; Arun Raghu, Co-Founder, Fans on Stands Sports; Supratik Sen, CEO and Co-Founder, U Sports; Neel Shah, Head of Sports Education & New Business, India On Track; Chiraag Paul, Founder & CEO - Proem Sports Analytic; and Subhamoy Das - Sr. Business Director - ESP Properties. The Conference Emcee was Jonathan Rego, Founder & Executive Editor, Nation of Sport.
The India Football Forum 2019 was powered by HERO MotoCorp, while the Knowledge Session Partners were Star Sports and Sony Pictures Networks India. Associate Partners for this edition were Sportz Village, Mumbai City FC, IISM, One Native, The Fan Garage, and Mumbai Live.
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