When it comes to sports that can be played all year round, there is no doubt that football is the worldwide king. Of course, there are other contenders that come pretty close in their respective regions, yet, outside their specific influence zones, it is a completely different story. Just to name a few examples, at the continental level, the UEFA Champions League and the Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores attract a great deal of attention from other latitudes.
Additionally, some domestic tournaments such as England’s Premier League, France’s Ligue 1, and Spain’s La Liga are watched from different parts of the globe with great enthusiasm. All of that served as inspiration for the All-India Football Federation to reorganize the sports scene in their country and create its own top-tier football tournament. Great news for the best betting sites in India and fans in general. However, that’s easier said than done.
Almost a decade after the debut of their second attempt, we figured this is as good time as any to review the ups and downs the federation has had in their venture and especially the impact the ISL has had in the subcontinent during that period. Let’s get down to business.
The idea
Even if football has existed in India ever since its introduction by the British back in the 19th century, it wasn’t until 1996 that a semi-professional league was created. Before that, different teams played in specific tournaments and competitions at the state level or on selected national level encounters. That situation had serious repercussions on the development of the sport in the country.
For instance, the lack of professionalization impeached many players from pursuing their careers, causing several talents to be wasted. Additionally, fans also were affected, as the general backwardness of this sport in the country, making it difficult for the locals to enjoy high-level football being played on their national soil. Thousands of Indians ignored the sports betting basics even if they were curious about it, just because there was no way to enjoy it locally.
It took another decade for the AIFF to finally make an effort to sort things out by creating the I-League. Nevertheless, it was poorly marketed and its popularity never really came. When both the attendance to the matches and the broadcast rating hit the lowest scores, the irreconcilable differences between the governing body at the national level and the broadcasting group that held the transmission rights at the time put the last nail in the I-League’s coffin, only four years after its creation.
Even though they eventually found a new broadcast partner and the league continued to be somewhat active, it was clear that they needed a change and fortunately, they started working on that.
Foundation
Indian Super League was officially announced in October 2013 and the inaugural season started a year later at Salt Lake Stadium. At first, the tournament did not have official recognition from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and it was structured based on the most popular sport in India, cricket. That’s why the seasons only lasted 3 months and matches were played daily.
Everything changed before the fourth season, though. First, the league expanded the number of teams to 10 and the schedule to six months. Then they won recognition from the football governing body in Asia and the right for their stage winners to participate in the AFC Champions league.
They also learn from past mistakes and handled marketing way differently. For instance, several important sponsorship deals were reached between ISL’s executives and the top bookmakers in India, allowing for the tournament to get much more exposure and ultimately a bigger success.
Now, after two expansions and multiple changes, there are 11 teams participating:
ATK Mohun Bagan FC
Bengaluru FC
Chennaiyin
East Bengal
Goa
Hyderabad
Jamshedpur
Kerala Blasters
Mumbai City
NorthEast United
Odisha
The success of the tournament was recently ratified once more when it was announced that from season 2022-2023 onwards the Indian Super League will be the only Top-tier league in the country.
Moreover, ratings have been on the rising since the last expansion and top Asian bookmakers have reported an increase in their betting activities related to the ISL, which means its popularity is on the rising. All of that confirms that with passion for the sport, commitment and effort, it is never late for a country to have its own professional and competitive football league.
