Indian Super League resurrects the football ecosystem in India

The rapidly growing football culture in India coupled with incredible passion has made many foreign leagues turn eastward. Some of the European clubs have even struck partnerships with Indian Super League (ISL) franchisees. City Football Group (CFG) bought a majority 65 percent stake in Indian Super League franchise Mumbai City FC and Swiss FC Basel acquired a 26% stake in Chennaiyin FC; Borussia Dortmund-Hyderabad, RB Leipzig- FC Goa, and FC Watford- Odisha FC partnerships also looked at improving coaching, training of players, and infusing the grassroots development of football in India. “There is a gap that is being bridged over time and there will be more opportunities for ISL clubs to spread their image outside India,” says Aashirwad Chakravarty of Highlander Brigade, the fan club of the NorthEast United FC, as he talks about the popularity of ISL growing beyond Indian borders. The 28-year old Ashirwad is a PhD aspirant  and studied fan culture in his dissertation during the Masters.

Fan clubs nurture talent

Fan clubs have played a key role in the development of football in their vicinity. ISL encouraged its franchisees to have their academies scout for and nurture local talent. Even the fan clubs of different franchisees focus on activities and strategies charted out to support their clubs in identifying the budding talent. “We plan to build a residential academy, a very modern facility with a conditioning coach, good nutrition, analytics, biomechanics, etc. for upcoming football players. There should not be a single kid, who due to lack of money or lack of resources is not able to play football,” says 41 year old Somu Joseph, the core committee member of Manjappada, the fan club of Kerala Blasters. Joseph is a Thiruvalla-based entrepreneur who besides sports, enjoys exploring newer places.

Supermachans of Chennaiyin FC organised a football session for under-privileged children in Chennai

The fan clubs run highly organized administrative machinery that facilitates all the activities to expand their fan base and support their state’s ISL franchise. Joshua Peters, who is an engineer with a multinational IT firm and is the Co-President of Supermachans shares that their club tries to identify the early-stage of football talent in schools from all over Tamil Nadu through different tournaments. These talents are groomed in the Chennaiyin FC school club. “There are 10-15 players who are getting trained for the next level,” adds Peters. The fans clubs have played a critical role in sustaining the excitement around the matches, particularly played during the pandemic. Virtual meets, online simulated tournaments, social media quizzes, team and player updates, graffiti paintings, musical and other engagement strategies organised by the fan clubs have kept the fans connected during the pandemic and kept the buzz going around the ISL franchisees. East Bengal Real power, the fan club of SC East Bengal even partnered with Bengal Heritage Foundation in August this year and organised a tournament in the UK where six fan clubs of the ISL franchises supported the tournament. 

Manjappada fans in Dubai after the screening of an ISL match in 2018-19

Sportsmanship personified

True sportsmanship comprises compassion, fairness, and empathy too. ISL franchisees have demonstrated this on many occasions. “We are more than a fan club. We celebrated Chennaiyin FC last year by distributing 10,000 food packets to people living on streets.We have even done coastal cleanups, tree plantation and volunteered for Special Olympics,” says Raghul Anthony of Supermachans, the 29-year-old Secretary of Supermachans, the official fan club of Chennaiyin FC. Kerala Blasters used their vast network of more than five lakh fans to “assist people in finding hospital beds and oxygen cylinders during the peak of the pandemic”, and the Highlander Brigade conducted rescue missions and supplied relief in the flood-affected areas in Assam. 

Highlander Brigade of North East United FC supplying relief in the flood-affected areas in Assam

“Irrespective of the club they are supporting, the fans need to contribute to community development, so that people get to see that these guys are contributing to the society. Every little thing that is being done will actually contribute to the development of football in this nation, says Suparno of EBRP. The 37-year-old ISL fan works with an IT firm in Kolkata, enjoys music, and likes to immerse himself into reading about football whenever he can. 

In just a matter of 7 years of ISL, the Indian football ecosystem has undergone a remarkable transformation across stakeholders. The idea of an Indian manager leading one of the top-tier football clubs in the country would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago. The rise of Khalid Jamil as the official head coach of Northeast United FC goes on to prove how Indian Super League (ISL) has infused renewed energy and amplified the culture of pure professionalism, technical and tactical understanding in the football ecosystem in India. To top it with the passion and dedication of the fans of ISL franchisees touching upon the lives of so many people across the spectrum of society, the day isn’t far when football steps outside the physical boundaries and becomes a way of life.