I-League teams decide to pool in to fund own adverts

Three clubs — Pune FC, Bharat FC and Royal Wahingdoh — decided to pull out of next season’s I-League citing poor visibility and lack of a clear roadmap as the key reasons.

They may be operating on a shoestring compared to the lofty budgets of their rich Indian Super League (ISL) cousins, but the nine I-League clubs have joined hands to form a corpus and make a concentrated effort to market the tournament along with the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

The AIFF has long been criticized for doing precious little to promote the I-League, resulting in almost zero visibility. The league’s problems compounded after the emergence of the ISL, which adopted aggressive marketing practices to overshadow the country’s premier domestic championship.

It’s seen as a last-ditch effort by the clubs to stay afloat even as the I-League fights for survival. The teams have been struggling to create an identity of their own owing to poor promotion and revenue model of the league since its inception. However, during a meeting of the stakeholders on Saturday, it was decided that all involved parties will contribute ‘substantial’ amounts to a central pool. That money will be used to buy airtime on regional channels along with space in the print and digital media.

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Although AIFF’s commercial partners IMG-Reliance will not be contributing to the revenue pool, they are close to signing a deal with a ‘leading broadcaster’, who will telecast most of the matches live. The clubs, however, are unlikely to get any amount from the TV deal.

“It’s the first time that such a marketing initiative will take place where both AIFF and the clubs will contribute and ensure the visibility of the league improves,” I-League CEO Sunando Dhar said.

Three clubs — Pune FC, Bharat FC and Royal Wahingdoh — decided to pull out of next season’s I-League citing poor visibility and lack of a clear roadmap as the key reasons. The clubs are hoping that this step will help in dealing with that aspect. “One of the areas where ISL has scored over I-League is its visibility. ISL’s dynamic marketing has attracted decent eyeballs. Of course, we do not have as many resources as IMGR but we will try to improve on that front,” a club official said.

The exact amount the clubs will have to set aside for this exercise will be finalised during a meeting on December 28, where the finer details of the initiative will be worked out. The I-League will kick off on January 9 but it is increasingly believed that the tournament is on its last legs, with the merger with ISL on the cards.