I-League CEO Sunando Dhar shares his insights on how the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) and other FIFA events will help Indian football in general and the I-League in particular. Here are some excerpts from an exclusive interview with www.indiansuperleague.com.

As the CEO of the I-League, do you see the ISL as a challenge?

According to the plan which was conceived, both the I-League and ISL will co-exist and complement each other. There is enough scope in the calendar and in the system for both leagues to exist and be successful on their own terms.

How will the two leagues be marketed and made financially sustainable?

The financial model of the I-League is different from that of the ISL. All the AIFF tournaments have been assigned to IMG-Reliance, including the I-League. We cannot exploit the scope of the I-League separately. So the I-League and ISL can’t be compared.

Obviously, each has its advantages. The ISL is coming in with franchisees, a professional approach and will be running the game in a particular manner. The I-League with its fan following and the existence of traditional teams, has its advantages too. So I believe both can learn from each other and can improve.

Since the National Football League (NFL) was re-branded as the I-League, what progress has been made and where do you see the I-League and ISL going in the future?

The future is something which we cannot predict. The idea behind the NFL’s re-branding as the I-League was aimed at making the clubs to operate in a professional manner — the coach, players, management, running of the club, etc., everything has to be professional.

With the introduction of the licensing system (over the last two years), the clubs have turned a new leaf and has become more professional. There is plenty of scope to improve both on and off the field.

We would like to have professional teams contributing on youth development, community, fan engagement along with infrastructure and the first team. We are pushing the I-League and ISL clubs to follow the manner in which successful clubs across the world are being run.

What will be the impact of the ISL on Indian football?

With the ISL you would expect more professionalism, better players and increase of eyeballs on the game. And obviously, with the extra money coming into the system, the ISL will have a positive trickle-down effect on all football properties in India. The professional effect would have a rub off on the existing I-League clubs also, and hopefully, they can learn from each other and pick up the stronger points which will be beneficial and take the matter forward.

How will the FIFA under-17 World Cup help take Indian football forward?

The FIFA under-17 World Cup will be the biggest sporting story in India, not only in football. The biggest impact will be made by India playing in the World Cup and the development of world-class infrastructure at six venues. The main stadiums plus four practise facilities will be developed at all the venues which we can use for our tournaments…I-League, ISL, Federation Cup and so on.

We are getting a chance to play against the best teams like Brazil, France, Spain and Germany in front of a world audience. We can build a team which is competitive with proper long-term training methods and use of modern facilities. We have shown in the recent past that our under-16 and under-17 teams can hold the fort against the big clubs.

By the end of this year we will have 100 boys preparing for the World Cup in the AIFF academies. We will select the best 30 boys and have an intensive one-year training programme to prepare them. We have to put time, money and energy into building the India under-17 team for the World Cup. With the support of the whole nation, the sky is the limit for these boys.

How can we bridge the gap between the senior team and age group teams?

That has been a problem. The Indian under-17 boys have been training together for the last 2-3 years. The training has been modern, scientific and all the facilities have been provided. Unfortunately for the senior team boys, they didn’t get this kind of systematic training when they were growing up. Expecting them to turn into world-beaters overnight will be very difficult.

Earlier, the youth and grassroots level were not so developed, both at the club and state level. Now it’s happening with the licensing system. It’s mandatory for the clubs to have youth systems and academies. It’s not an overnight exercise. Results will be seen in 5-10 years, but we have to bear with the transition period.

(Interview courtesy: www.indiansuperleague.com)