Football in India

Mention the teams Liverpool, Manchester United or Arsenal to anybody in the World and I am sure that most people would know at least one player or one fact concerning the club. This is a surprising when you could mention an Indian NFL team and the person, unless they were from Indian origin, would probably not be able to name one team, or even player.
Players from teams such as Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United are known World wide as not only do they do well for their club but they also play for a country that does well at international level. This publicity for player, club and country promotes the player around the World. This in turn promotes football as a sport to people.
Take David Beckham, every where you go in the World people mention him. He plays for a top premiership team and for England who boast a number of World class players. From Beckham's fame he gains more publicity by advertising products. This all has an effect on how a country thinks about football. This accounts for England's love of the sport.. Now why isn't this the same in India?
Many people use the argument that Indian men are built differently from western men but if the slight difference in build and height was any real problem then there would be no successful players who were slim and small. This is not so, there are many players who are built like this who play very well. India should learn to play with the players they have and not necessarily imitate western styles. This will mean that Indian teams will do better as they will be playing to their strengths and, when playing against western sides, the two teams will be playing differently resulting in a much more interesting game.
In England coverage of football is vast. Whole channels devote time on a match day, to pre match talking, the scores and post-match talking. This enables fans to keep up to date with news and scores, and it is little effort for them to find out information. Unlike India were in some places the scores do not reach the fans for a few days. This only adds in putting fans off supporting a team as so much effort has to be made.
Also in India premiership games are readily available. The Indian people have the choice of watching World Class internationals or players who they know little about. Of course the choice is obvious. More people will watch the Premiership games as this is value for money.
For India to progress into the World cup finals and have a strong chance their players also need to change the way they learn. More needs to be done when they are younger to promote football and to find the best players. More youth academies need to be set up across the country and these academies need to educate the players both in schooling and in football. Coaches and physios from abroad need to be brought to India to teach the players a new aspect of football. They need to use the information and medical science about sport that the west has been using for the last decade.
One question everyone asks when Indian football is discussed is where is all the money going to come from. The answer is that the AIFF have to put money in to get something out. No business can make money with out money having to be put in first. With successful results and players heading to play in different countries, money will be made. This money could then be used to put back into the business and to pay the people who helped out in the first place. Of course this isn't going to happen over night, this all needs careful planning and thought. Someone who really cares about the game in India has to take over, not men who want money and an easy job. The whole process needs a shake up, the first step has been made, employing a foreign manager who has new and radical ideas that go completely against the previous way of thinking.
So, if you read my article you're probably wondering what a young English girl is doing writing an article in which she puts down the whole Indian football association and solves all their problems in one swoop. Good question. I have very little right to do this but I have a few reasons.
I spent two weeks of my Easter holiday in Goa, staying in a lovely hotel and I was lucky enough to be there at the same time as the Indian under-23 team and their opponents Turkmenistan. I also talked to the players and saw the game, which they won 1-0 but unfortunately lost 2-1 on aggregate. From talks with the players (all who shall remain name less), I realised that they had been brought up with a different philosophy from English players. This is being changed by their new British coach.
I also have a great love of English football and am a huge supporter of Sunderland. I go to as many games as I can and keep up to date with news of players daily. Since I started secondary education I have wanted to be a sports journalist as it would combine my two favourite things, sport and writing. I think that coming from a country where football is a supported as it is here can see the problems that other countries have.
As I said earlier the system needs a huge shake up and as I have learnt from being a member of the IndianFootball.Com mailing list, there are many people who do care about the sport. Maybe you're the people to make that change?

Anyone who has a problem with any thing I have written or who has further questions, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Larysa Dlaboha
lusciouslaz@hotmail.com