Anytime the discussion turns to Indian soccer, most people roll up their eyes and look at me with utter disbelief. After all India is a cricket superpower and apart from Bengal, Kerala, North -East and Goa no other state even remotely plays the sport.
Currently India ranks 147 in the official FIFA (International football association) rankings. But things were much better in the past. India has two Asian gold medals in Soccer and also a Silver at the Asian Championship. The highest point India has ever reached was the 1950 Soccer world cup in Brazil, for which India qualified but did not participate due to costs, training, Lack of football boots (We played barefoot till then) and to focus on the Olympics.
Since 1970's, the situation for the Indian soccer team has done very poorly, probably leading to the rise of cricket post the 1983 triumph from Kapil's Devils.
So what does the future hold for Indian soccer. In my opinion, India would become the next super power of soccer. Some evidence of that growth are already here to see.
1) Cricket has become saturated and corrupt. The recent scam in IPL not with standing, India has a overdose of cricket. Also there are certain conditions where soccer can be played but not cricket. The monsoons are a good example.
2) Many soccer clubs have started summer schools and soccer schools in the country. Manchester United, Chelsea and Boca Juniors are just three of the many who are now eyeing India as a destinations.
3) Nutrition levels in India's youth have improved. There are many instances of that visible in the youngsters coming into the Indian cricket team.
So in conclusion, this blog will focus on the Indian soccer scene. Local clubs, corporate competitions and regional competitions. So if you do have a local club or a competition, we would like to know so please do contact us and become contributors to the Indian soccer story.
Another important factor that need to get immediate attention is the proliferation of soccer beyond the pockets where it's now getting confined. Beyond a few states (Bengal, Goa, Punjab and Kerala) and north East, there are hardly any states where soccer is a popular sports. However the support given by the leading sports channel to popularise the sport will soon start giving rich dividends. Last year Diego Maradona came to Kerala to inaugurate a jewelry store and let me tell you any Latin American city may not have matched the crowd that gathered to have a little glace of the hero...
ReplyDeleteI agree KK. There is an oppurtunity for media to diversify and I hope they take it up. Soccer has universal appeal so not sure why it cannot expand to other regions of India.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing which is interesting is how football has started to become extremely popular in the cities due to the huge coverage it gets on weekends, the next challenge is going to be able to replicate the same success and to make it popular in the towns and villages of India.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kunal. The movement needs to spread to the rural parts of the country. I think we have enough talent all across the nation to take us into the big league.
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