I don't see why the sad face, that is good for India. India, IMO, have a better base to start with development than the US. College Soccer has/will stunt youth development in the US due to how stingy the NCAA is with regards to their rules about payment of players, their rules on and off the field, and how guys can't play with pros etc. You also have guys who want an education choosing college over the academy etc and a lot of other things.
I mean, at least from my perspective, Indian football just has a better starting point without the hassle of university sports.
Look at the facilities ,and the pipelines that lead to US College Soccer.... Rec Leagues , Travel teams , Premier Clubs , (Academies ) , ODP / Select etc ,and then Showcase tournaments,,,,,
You telling me India doesn't need this ??
NCAA rules are made to prevent corruption from American Football, Basketball , and Baseball clubs , coaches , agents etc. , and it helps in those sports where they cant realistic play year round...
the rules obviously stunt Soccer players in the US..
At least you have the options in the US of choosing Academy ( and skip college ) , play College soccer and get an education or in some cases even , move abroad...
The options for a 16 year old in INDIA right now , are very very limited... there are only 12 x 8 players in india who can get a guarantee of a year round income from Club Football !!
Not something , I as a parent would feel comfortable about
Hm, I guess I am confusing both the current scenarios surrounding both US Soccer and Indian football right now and I am confusing the problems with the NCAA and how they can relate to Indian football.
I still think the NCAA is still bad for soccer here until major reform is done but that has no barring on Indian football.
It seems the Jindals are having second thoughts on taking over the Bengaluru or any other franchisee of IPL because they fear that IPL has become scam tainted and they do not want to get involved in it at this point of time (also Pepsi is questioning BCCI regarding IPL).
Cricket gets 90% of sports sponsorship in India. This scam may dent that figure slightly, but it may still continue to take the lion's share of the booty till the foreseeable future.
More serious is the fact that it has reached a state of diminishing returns, which will soon take away some sheen off it. Already Pro Kabaddi League, which faced difficulty in finding title sponsor in the inaugural edition, have EIGHT sponsors this time. HIL is on more or less a firm footing. ISL is doing famously.
I think a paradigm shift in sport sponsorship is hovering on us. Football sure will get a slice of it, only if AIFF is pragmatic enough.
Comments
This and lack of year round play is why the Academies system has usurped College soccer route for the best players...
Alas we have no such problems in India
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31812&articlexml=JSW-shelves-plan-to-buy-IPL-team-17072015019048
I think this will keep Parth Jindal glued to BFC and football in the near future, which is good for Indian football.
Any other players who have shifted focus to Football due to being crowded out of IPL?
More serious is the fact that it has reached a state of diminishing returns, which will soon take away some sheen off it. Already Pro Kabaddi League, which faced difficulty in finding title sponsor in the inaugural edition, have EIGHT sponsors this time. HIL is on more or less a firm footing. ISL is doing famously.
I think a paradigm shift in sport sponsorship is hovering on us. Football sure will get a slice of it, only if AIFF is pragmatic enough.
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31812&articlexml=Sponsors-on-the-ball-look-beyond-cricket-17072015017078
http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/3GaaP7VAGs27ud37rmcjhJ/Pro-Kabbadi-franchises-struggle-to-find-sponsors.html