by Sujay Sharma

Mumbai FC - 'Maximum' Football Club for 'Maximum' City?
There has been a void in the footballing lifeblood of this city. Speak to most middle-aged men you come across at the Cooperage ground, Mumbai football's Mecca, and they will tell you the crowds now are nothing compared to what they used to be, 10-20 years ago and even before that. Many reasons have been given and argued over, the cause of this downturn in Mumbai football fortunes over the years, be it lack of grounds, to too much television, too hectic lifestyles, what have you. But the result has been there for all to see.

Over the last couple of years, however, the spark seems to have been reignited. The Nitu Mandke inter-zonal tournament gives a nice opportunity for one-upmanship within Mumbai's areas. Two city teams have been competing in the National Football League - Mahindra United and Air-India. Mahindra even went as far as to bring the title to Mumbai in 2006. The Maharashtra Santosh Trophy team too, with its large contingent of Mumbai players, performs very well at the National championship, even better than more traditional powerhouses.

This spark however, needs to be unleashed. For there is a lot of underlying passion in this city of ours, just waiting to be ignited. Kids playing football on the street, on the few available public grounds, and in their colony premises, are not any more as rare sightings as they were. In fact, at many places, you see less kids playing cricket. Wearing replicas of European clubs' jerseys has become a fashion statement, an identification, be it for the rich, or the poor. We all know the all pervasiveness of the television in the average Mumbaikar's lives, and turn on any sports channel, it is beaming football from all over the world at most times.

This football is being watched. And the people watching it, like all fans, want to identify with the clubs. But if given the chance, with which club will the fans, provided they are there, and we know they are, identify with and support closest to their heart the most ? Invariably the one closest to their home, and trying to garner that community feeling. That is probably what Mumbai FC proposes to do - to harness this underlying current, and make it count. As an example, why doesn't one log onto the social networking site, Orkut, and put Mumbai FC in the search. One will be surprised to see that within a week of the launch, the club has started having dedicated communities on the site, to discuss it's issues among its nascent supporters. This is obviously just a sign of the potential of the fan-base waiting to be tapped for future success on and off the pitch for the club.

The plan thus far has been well thought of. Wide publicity to launch. Attractive jerseys and professionally designed logo identifying with the city's icon - the Gateway. Signing on some star players, in Abhishek, Khalid, Noel, and Kalyan, to help give them an early footing on the national stage, to break into the top echelons of the National game, from where they will best be able to fulfill there goals. Hiring of experienced and successful management and staff, in Henry Menezes and David Booth. Tie-ups with an area and locality, the Thakur group, to help create the initial fan-base and provide starting infrastructure like practise grounds and gyms at the least. Probably the best thing going for them is the financial backing of the Essel group, with the reported Rs. 4 crore, not an unsubstantial amount in Indian football.

The most important thing then becomes for Mumbai FC to be competitive in the Mumbai Elite division this year with Mahindra, Air-India, ONGC and the like, and also make it to the top division of the proposed I-League come the 2nd Division in December. Although 4 teams are proposed to be promoted, competing with the likes of HAL, Mohammedans, Vasco, SBT, Chirag United will not be necessarily a walkover. Once promoted to the top division, the real marketing of the club through television and advertisement, and building up of a fan-base and loyal following will gain pace. It might not be surprising then to finally have a Mumbai club beeing cheered on by the thronged thousands in the stands, like used to be the norm in those decades gone by at the Cooperage.