India’s new football Super League is getting ready for its launch on October 12th. It hopes to give Indian Premier League cricket a run for its money.
India is seen as one of the world’s last great untapped football markets. The ten week league hopes to harness growing interest in the game. There is already a strong following in West Bengal, Assam and Goa. The games will be screened on the Star India TV network.
India’s new football Super League is getting ready for its launch on October 12th. It hopes to give Indian Premier League cricket a run for its money.
India is seen as one of the world’s last great untapped football markets. The ten week league hopes to harness growing interest in the game. There is already a strong following in West Bengal, Assam and Goa. The games will be screened on the Star India TV network.
The eight clubs in the league are being drawn from a mix of local players blended with international stars such as David James and Alessandro del Piero drawn out of retirement with generous financial packages said to run into millions of dollars.
The league is being funded by the Reliance industrial group which is controlled by India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, and American sports agency IMG. The idea is to combine TV-friendly football with Bollywood glamour and razmatazz.
The franchises for the teams based in Guwahati, Mumbai and Pune were won by Indian film stars. The Kerala Blasters are owned by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.