Panaji: There are many things money can buy and among those that the rich and powerful are flaunting at the moment is a football franchise.

The Indian Super League (ISL) offered Bollywood stars, industrialists and even existing football club owners a chance to grab a team of their own, and it came as no surprise that many did not want to let go of this opportunity.

“I am glad that people are venturing into football. It's very good. But I'm not venturing into it as it's too expensive for me... I wanted to pitch for this, but it was way expensive. If it's a football team, then it has to be Kolkata for me, and it didn't seem possible at the cost that it was,” Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is reported to have said.

Like Shah Rukh said, the ISL franchise did not come cheap.

Each of the owners spent anywhere between Rs 12 crore to Rs 18 crore -- Delhi being the most expensive -- and, according to the business plan shared with owners, each franchise is expected to have an operational expenditure of approximately Rs 42 crore in the opening year.

The revenues for the inaugural edition will come from sponsors (approx. Rs 5 crore), ISL’s central revenue and broadcasting pool (approx. Rs 6 crore), sale of tickets (approx. Rs 1.5 crore), leaving franchisees with at least Rs 30 crore in the red.

The ISL champions will have an additional Rs 8 crore in its kitty.

“All of us are mentally prepared and know there will be losses for three to four years. The real hope is for stadiums to go full and generate additional revenue. At the end of the day, all clubs will look at valuations but we will have a good understanding of what has worked only in three years,” said FC Goa co-owner Shrinivas Dempo.

FC Goa have Videocon d2h as the principal sponsor, while Usha International, Ponds, Gardre Marine and Kenstar have been roped in as associate sponsors. Wockhardt Hospitals is the official medical partner and Big FM, the radio partner. The kit is sponsored by Adidas .

“You cannot think of making money initially. We are encouraged by the commercialisation that has happened in Indian football and we just need to raise the bar,” said Dempo, who will have to spend another Rs 10 crore to sustain his team in the I-League, India’s premier football competition.

