I-League Vs ISL

Maddie

Please have constructive criticism which will help Indian football to progress in terms of quality, competitiveness, revenue and overall health of football industry in India.

ArsenalFan700

........ FFS, just ask to have that other thread renamed, we were already on a conversation there.

Maddie

this is for Fight club

ArsenalFan700

We could have moved that thread... either way, whatever, that was a dick comment on my part.

Lets go then. The amount of dislikes I am about to get will be lovely.

Maddie

There is no space for two top tier leagues in any country because both cant expand which ever you try to expand it will cramp the schedule.

AIFF needs to decide only 1 league should be present(I-league/ISL) . I prefer I-league because it is controlled and owned by our own federation(everything benefits AIFF(india football) unlike ISL benefits in long run (IMG)

ArsenalFan700

Wait, didn't the I-League want to separate from the AIFF? That is how we got into this mess in the first place!

Also, I am still on the fence about the Indian Super League. I won't support it fully but I will notice the slight good news that comes out and take it as a good sign. There is so much money being put into this league that if it does fail I feel Indian football will go through what the US did when the NASL failed and that was years without an actual league, or at least a "professional" one.

I still have a lot of complaints and "wishes" for the Indian Super League. Before I go into this, warning, this will probably be long, but if you don't like the ISL then you will probably enjoy reading this and agree.

Bengaluru FC is basically like an ISL team. They bought their way into their leagues directly. What is the difference though? The difference is that Bengaluru FC engages big time with the community. They market themselves well and make their presence known in Bangalore. Ya, you can say that some ISL clubs are the same but think about what I am saying. Bengaluru FC have been excellent off the field with fan engagement, doing charitable events, helping with football clinics and tournaments, doing a "Clean India" thing. They have struck a connection with the Bangalore faithful. They have their own chants and the fans like the team for Bengaluru FC, they know the players and the players communicate with the fans. The stadium is designed to be blue, white, and red, further improving the brand. Parth Jindel has basically made Bengaluru FC a part of Bangalore, like how Arsenal belongs to Islington or Newcastle United to the people of Newcastle.

ArsenalFan700

Now, the ISL teams on the other hand, don't do this. FC Goa is probably the closest team to Bengaluru FC. Every franchise has fans but it does not feel genuine. When I watched the ISL highlights and saw the fans, there were a lot of fans but it seemed they were there purely for the show, the spectacle. When the home team GAVE AWAY A GOAL the fans still cheered, especially if that goalscorer was someone like Anelka. It did not help that when the away team scored the fireworks went off... WTF!!! Fine, let the fans take their time to genuinely love their teams but the league itself should not try to ruin that!

And that is the thing, the league itself and the team owners don't help in creating a genuine fan base. It is literally creating hype and the fans will come but where is the genuine interest? Now it seems like the Kerala Blasters and somewhat Chennaiyin FC have genuine fans but it still does not feel like that of Bengaluru FC.

Look at what happened with Mohun Bagan when they won the I-League... that is what we should want in the ISL... nothing forced. The ISL teams need to engage more with the community now, try cleaning their areas, participate in charities, go around to schools, tournaments... try to create a connection and not feel artificial and fake.

Next, the ISL needs to change the format around to eventually match a proper football league and then match AFC rules. If Indian football is to really improve and fans to genuinely care we need to do this. Fine, if you want to stay like this for now then do so, but by 2017-2020 we should be starting to change the league from 2-3 months to a 6-7 month tournament. October to May... or April. Don't have games every day but on Weekends. Have the Game of the Week on Friday, then have 2 matches on Saturday, and a Sunday evening game to finish the round. Occasionally throw in weeknight games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Right now I feel that the fear is that if they do this the hype will be lost... well... you want to keep the hype? Then fucking create a genuine fan base, because a genuine fan base will never lose hype on their team. 

Also, roster rules. I am fine with 8 foreigners... 6 in the staring XI... keep it like that. If we ever join the AFC Champions League then it will be easy to select 4 foreigners to play but part of those foreigner rules is to sign an Asian... change the rule so that each ISL team can sign 7 foreigners + 1 Asian. This will prepare us better and avoid controversy in the future.

Then we move onto youth development... fine, don't set-up academies yet. Focus on these grassroots festivals and scholarships. At least it is something! But we will need to set-up academies soon. I feel each team should have an academy (the current 8 at least) by around 2017-2020. They don't even need to be proper academies! If your academy only has a U12, U14, and U16 level then fine! Slowly build up though and eventually get a U21 team going. Then, try creating "B" teams which can go into the state leagues.

Okay, I think this is a good place to stop, I have a lot more but here is a TL;DR:

TL;DR: Bengaluru FC has genuine fan support. Same with Mohun Bagan. Other than FC Goa, and somewhat Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyin FC, the ISL teams feel like they have forced fan support. The format needs to change by the 2017-2020 area, squad rules need to fit AFC terms, and youth development needs to start if the ISL is to help Indian football.

Maddie

my question at moment we should have one league and develop strength to strength instead of suppressing other. let's have one genuine league(ISL/I-league) for the good (Indian football). let's stop one league built it strong(16-20 teams, 8-9 months long season) then go for second division and state leagues

ArsenalFan700

Actually, quickly, another point with the genuine interest. Look at any football club. They are represented by their players and the players are echoed into the culture of the fan base. Arsenal loves Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere etc. Chelsea loves John Terry, Frank Lampard (admit it, you still do), Diego Costa, Eden Hazard. Bengaluru FC loves Sunil Chhetri, Lyngdoh, and Curtis Osano.

So can that happen in ISL? The only club I've seen try that is FC Goa with Romeo Fernandes. Why has Delhi Dynamos not tried to get Gustavo Marmentini back? The guy was loved and is not going to make it at Atletico so why not bring him to India where he will become a legend!? Chennaiyin had Bruno Pellisari. ATK have Fikru, Jofre etc. 

The players create the history, they draw the fans... I just don't see it in ISL.

Also... fuck Atletico de Kolkata. Give me Mohun Bagan and East Bengal any day of the week!

ArsenalFan700

@Maddie Merging the ISL and I-League is not financially feasible at all. There is a reason the ISL, despite the I-League, is around. So far the only team I can see being fit enough to join the ISL is Bengaluru FC and they tried last season. Dempo is obviously relegated and I can't see IMG-Reliance accepting anymore Goan teams and Sporting Clube de Goa and Salgaocar are nowhere near close to the level of support an ISL team would need.

East Bengal and Mohun Bagan would be perfect for the ISL! Two historic rivals, over 100 years of history! The derby can be as good as the Old Firm or El Classico. IMG-Reliance should be drooling over these teams but we have Atletico de Kolkata. Why? ATK has the backing to handle an ISL. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal fight for financial life every year and are ran like a 20th century club. I WANT them in ISL but it won't happen unless a massive overhaul is done of the clubs and ATK leaves.

Mumbai FC I can see one day turning into a youth team, a Mumbai Football League only team, or bought out by Mumbai City or given a partnership with MCFC... there are many avenues here. The Pune clubs would be tough. FC Pune City have not proven themselves with support but they seem better than Pune FC and Bharat FC can go die in a volcano for all I care. Pune FC could merge with FC Pune City but then again I know Pune FC is sketchy so lets see. That is a confusing one.

Shillong Lajong will return to a Shillong Premier League side, as will Royal Wahingdoh. Maybe a NorthEast Premier League can actually happen this time with those clubs in it. Aizawl could join it but I can see Aizawl joining ISL one day but not until after 2020, that is for sure.

coolgagan

Fans connection with the club can be due to 2 things:

First, it arises out of patriotism. We all connect to one particular region of the world identified by a city, state and country. If we have a club from that region, naturally the feeling of supporting your own club arises and you stand up for your club. Defend it. Help the players emotionally. This is what makes real football fans all around the world. Look at any great club of the world and investigate the demographics. On thing is for sure that real fans would belong to the place from where the club originates.
This is the category where I fall into.

Second, supporting the best teams in the world because everyone is supporting them and obviously they are the best players. Fans in this category will shout, take banters, retaliate for their club but the passion is still not that much. Some of the fans in this category are PLASTIC FANS.

Eg. Indians supporting Real Madrid. Not saying that these fans are not real. But, I don't know. I mean you obviously appreciate their game play. Their level of play is there for anyone to see. I would love to watch the team play on TV or in stadium for the case.

Now my AGENDA: But, will I support them wholeheartedly? Will I cry for the club when it loses? Will I be crazy about the players. SORRY! NO. WTF do I have to do with a Spanish team. For all I care about is India. I like Real Madrid. I want to see them play week in and out. But, emotional connect is not there.

INDIAN FOOTBALL NEEDS TO TARGET THE FIRST CATEGORY BIG TIME. WE NEED TO CREATE LOYAL FOOTBALL FANS.

How? This is the question.