Menu
International Football

Indian Super League Hopeful Starpower Will Increase Football's Popularity In India

The people behind the Indian Super League, "it is fair to say, mean business," according to Rory Smith of the LONDON TIMES. The ISL looks "every inch like it is designed to do for football what the Indian Premier League did for cricket, to sprinkle it with stardust and turn it into a celebrity-spangled, thoroughly glitzy modern entertainment franchise." The reality may be "slightly more complex." IMG-Reliance Football Division VP Andy Knee said, "The aim is to popularize the sport radically. India has a long and rich football history, but the spotlight on the local game has faded in recent times. ... What was needed was to take the sport to the masses." To do so, the ISL's organizers have "engaged a host of Bollywood stars, sporting greats and corporate behemoths as backers for clubs; Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly are involved, as is John Abraham, the former model and Bollywood actor." They have "attracted the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, Robert Pirès, Freddie Ljungberg and Luis García to join up as 'marquee' players, each of them earning hundreds of thousands of pounds -- at least -- to be involved in the three-month competition." Knee is adamant these are "long-term commitments" to the growth of the game in India. He said, "It is not a country where clubs can come, make a fast buck and disappear. It needs a real commitment to helping the sport develop." His view of the marquee players "is the same." The "cynic might suggest" the likes of Del Piero and García are "simply looking for a final payday." Knee: "They add great stature and profile. They have the reputations and celebrity to draw new fans into the sport, but we hope they can inspire the Indian players alongside them" (LONDON TIMES, 9/22).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2014/09/23/International-Football/Indian-Super-League.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2014/09/23/International-Football/Indian-Super-League.aspx

CLOSE