by Arunava Chaudhuri

The inaugural I-League ended in splendid fashion on February 23 with Dempo Sports Club winning the title just on goal difference ahead of Goan rivals Churchill Brothers SC. Four goal separated the top two teams, while on the other side of the table promoted sides Viva Kerala and Salgaocar SC were relegated again.
So lets take a closer look at the inaugural I-League, which was supposed to kick-off professional club football in India as per the plans of the AIFF on recommendations of FIFA and the AFC.

Was the inaugural I-League any different from the former National Football League?
Many who followed the league would say that the I-League was an old wine in a new bottle with the league having to evolve in the coming years to become truly professional. There wasn't much difference between the 11th NFL and the 1st I-League in many aspects.

1. Scheduling. The I-League's 18 rounds were held from November 24, 2007 to February 23, 2008 in just three month's. Too much football in too little time with a lot of travelling, criss-crossing the country which gave the players little to no rest between matches. This has expectedly caused numerous injuries across all clubs.
In the next season the 2nd I-League will most likely be played with 12 sides and the AIFF has plans to hold the league from September to April with matches only on weekends. If the Indian calendar allows, then this would be great step forward for Indian club football's professionalisation process.

2. Refereeing. There seems to be no common standard of refereeing in India. Some referee's take a tougher stand while others handle the same situation in a much lighter way.
But the biggest problem remains to be mistakes! And they are still too common within Indian football and sometimes they are decisive. The AIFF should do more for referee education to bring the standard of refereeing to a higher level as good referee's are part of the professional game. But blaiming the referee's for their situation wouldn't be right.

3. Grounds. The match grounds have improved over the last few seasons, but with so many matches in such a short span of time the grounds had to take a beating. With matches likely to be spread out in the coming season they could suffer less, but also the local authorities need to spend more time and more money in the upkeeping of grounds.

4. Match timings. Many I-League matches were held in the afternoon due to lack of floodlights and/or live TV coverage which denied numerous fans the chance to watch matches live at the grounds.

5. Infrastructure. The stadium's themselves and the infrastructure around them need to be improved on all possible fronts. Many venues do not have proper seats to sit on, while the toilets are surely a place to avoid.
Also at some grounds it is dangerous for female fans to come and watch matches. The authorities need to do something about it, maybe even have women enclosures to attract women to come and watch matches.
Fans who have seen matches in Europe and/or North America will hope to see some of the hospitality and amenities at grounds in India in the years to come.

6. TV coverage. Zee Sports & Ten Sports showed numerous matches of the I-League live. The channels had quality coverage as always, but they will need to do more to attract new viewers to watch I-League matches live on TV. PR needs to be intensified and people need to be better informed about match timings.

7. Crowd response. The crowd response for the I-League wasn't good. The attendence numbers have been dwindling for years and this season even fewer fans came to watch the I-League.
The reasons for this are numerous and some are mentioned above - match timings, stadium's, quality TV coverage.
Another reason is international football. The English Premier League and UEFA Champions League are widely watched across the major cities, and many who watch those matches say Indian football isn't good enough. Maybe some of these football fans should watch local football and get a feel of Indian football. It surely is getting better...

8. Promotion. The I-League as such wasn't well promoted by the AIFF and its marketing partners. In the match venues people couldn't find out about match schedules, kickoff timings and venue. Many even now are calling it the NFL though the league has a new name and avtar.

9. Quality. The football on display in the I-League was good, sometimes even real quality but there were also those matches which one would want to forget. The quality has surely improved over the last few years with the teams playing better organised football focusing on match strategies and tactics.
Some would say the technical and individual aspects are getting lost, but winning is the most important thing in today's football. The team is important, not the individual.

10. Future. The inaugural I-League was a new start. Some good steps have been taken to take Indian club football forward and the league hopefully will be a huge success in the years to come.
Indian football needs a strong I-League!!!