“It was electrifying,” beams young footballer Ajmer Khaja Mohideen, who went all the way from Madurai to Chennai to be present at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium as a spectator when Chennaiyin Football Club defeated Kerala Blasters 2-1 in the Hero Indian Super League. “It is the most satisfying moment for a player to see a packed stadium for a football match. It hardly happened in recent times,” he says.
After cricket, hockey and kabaddi now it is the turn of football to make it big and regain its glory. Soccer tournaments are not new to the people as they are familiar with the I-League for men’s association football clubs. But ISL has come in like a whiff of fresh air lifting the quality of the game several notches higher.
No doubt ISL has brought in a lot of professionalism to Indian football by drafting in players such as Bernard Mendy, who plays professional soccer in France, Marco Materazzi who was part of the Italian world cup winning team, former England goalkeeper David James and French footballer Robert Pires who has played for Arsenal.
“Introduction of four foreign players in each team has helped the local talents to hone their skills as they now have the opportunity to learn through observation. You can learn a lot with an experienced international player around,” says G. Sokkanathan, who coached former Indian international player Raman Vijayan. “Till recently, many players left football in pursuit of greener pastures due to lack of job opportunities. But now with ISL in existence it is not the case. The league has restored the hopes of many players who have decided to make a come back,” he adds.
Though the standard of the game is not up to the level of Spanish football league or English premier league, people flock to the stadium to have a taste of international football. “For so long we used to learn the techniques watching world cup football on television. But it feels great to be there in person to see the tackles and movements,” says R. Yagna Srinivasan, Assistant Secretary, Madurai District Football Association.
If the league could draw the attention of the people in a place which is not traditionally a footballing stronghold, the credit goes to the massive promotional activities.
The movement to popularise the game has already begun with corporate giants making moves to spot young talents all over the country. The recently conducted inter-district under-14 tournament in Madurai, where players took part under their school banner, is seen as a preparatory tournament to build a strong football team.
Bringing cricket icons and bollywood stars into the game have also contributed to the success of the game. The league could not have come at a better time when the country is ranked 158 in the FIFA rankings. With attractive pay packets and prize money there is every chance of new players coming into the league and raising the profile of the game in a country obsessed with cricket.