I guess Pune FC's closing of senior team is more significant than Bharat FC. Pune FC was touted as the most professional club in India (before Bengaluru FC started). So, what followed? was it just a social network gimmick?
also is this the first (or one of the initial) major casuality of ISL? will be miss pune FC in i league?
I always thought Pune FC were serious about running a football club. In fact, they did all the right things initially (same is true for Mumbai FC as well, but on a lesser scale). They were good on social media, website was always updated, had good youth development, had steady team, no interference from the owners. Somewhere midway, it stopped giving results -- that is, drawing fans. I think it has partly to do with the club failing to win any significant trophy in the initial years and make an impact. But then the team always had respectable upper table finishes.
I believe the absence of a proper business plan of the league, and no light at the end of the tunnel is the cause of this harsh decision. Being businessmen, the promoters would like to minimize the accumulated loss by closing down.
It seemed to changed towards the end of the 2013-14 season. Mike Snoei was brought in. Good players from abroad were signed and yet, still nothing in terms of trophies and fans still were not coming in.
Now you have Bharat FC and FC Pune City and the lack of vision in the I-League and I would also not see the reason for keeping investment in the I-League up.
PFC's Achilles heel was lack of silverware IMO. You can do all the good stuff but unless you win trophies you won't win fans, specially when they are a football ignorant bunch or doesn't connect with the club in an ethnicity or religious way like in Kolkata. Sad day this for Indian football.
Also I have a feeling just like JCT, teams like PFC will keep their presence in youth levels and a basic structure afloat. So if down the line, things improve, they can switch right back on, they aren't short of money in the end.
Pune FC was not getting crowd support. They did bring school children and kids from nearby Sports Hostel who supported PFC. Other then that, there were people from Bengal, North East supporting visiting clubs. Actual paying local fans were negligible. That too after so many years in I-league. Local players were missing. Atleast in clubs like Mumbai FC, JCT, Air India one used to see local players. Pune hardly produce Football players. just recruiting NE players year after year will not fill stadium in Pune. PFC and KBFC are two big Businessman Family Conglomerates of Pune - Piramals and Kalyani. Apparently same model is also by clubs like Mumbai FC and Bengaluru FC- Subhas Chandra (Goenka) and Jindal Group. These clubs are not their bread and butter. They run huge conglomerates and the clubs are just like Philanthropy, Tax Deduction medium and Diversification of investment for them. We need clubs which run like a business and have some aspiration of growth. Atleast Bengaluru FC has shown some credibility and vision. Otherwise fan based clubs should be encouraged.
Comments
I believe the absence of a proper business plan of the league, and no light at the end of the tunnel is the cause of this harsh decision. Being businessmen, the promoters would like to minimize the accumulated loss by closing down.
Also I have a feeling just like JCT, teams like PFC will keep their presence in youth levels and a basic structure afloat. So if down the line, things improve, they can switch right back on, they aren't short of money in the end.
PFC and KBFC are two big Businessman Family Conglomerates of Pune - Piramals and Kalyani.
Apparently same model is also by clubs like Mumbai FC and Bengaluru FC- Subhas Chandra (Goenka) and Jindal Group.
These clubs are not their bread and butter. They run huge conglomerates and the clubs are just like Philanthropy, Tax Deduction medium and Diversification of investment for them.
We need clubs which run like a business and have some aspiration of growth. Atleast Bengaluru FC has shown some credibility and vision.
Otherwise fan based clubs should be encouraged.