Why East Bengal needs ISL?

Perks of playing in the Indian Super League

MERIT : Opportunity to play AFC Champions League by representing India in the Top most level of Asian Football. Opportunity to be Champions of India by the courtesy of playing the Top Division of Indian Football.

QUALITY : Playing in the AFC Champions League is sure to attract better players from the West, Americas, Asia, Middle East and Africa. Foreigners of larger calibre are sure to be attracted by the status of Indian top division and the chance to play at the top of Asian Football, thus boosting the quality of the players in each team.

SPONSORSHIP : ISL teams have protected financial obligations under the Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) clauses in the franchise contract. The FSDL authorities help with forming sponsorship and investment deals like the recent Mumbai City capture by the City Group Inc. (CFG). Playing in Asia and perhaps, performing well will also attract East Asian and Gulf private bodies to form partnerships and have financial deals with the club.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT : ISL teams may have started slowly in this department but they have been steady. ISL teams are now getting the better of I-League youth sides in the AIFF Youth Leagues with their grassroots setup slowly coming into shape. FSDL hosts several youth tournaments and camps with Premier League sides in England and India which allows ISL youth sides to play with the top academies in the world. The recent Premier League vs ISL tournament in Mumbai, Feb 2020 is the best example.

SUPPORT BASE : The ISL with its glamour and gritz, is sure to lure newer younger fans to East Bengal. Currently, the East Bengal fanbase is traditionally made up of fans who carry on the legacy from their fathers and mothers. However, the trend is declining as families slowly shed away their bond with the Partition of India and Liberation of Bangladesh which fueled the East Bengal fanbase. ISL will rekindle the brand of East Bengal in younger fans in Kolkata and West Bengal who do not share the historical bond with the identity of East Bengal.

FINANCES : ISL like any other new league are in crores of losses but as trends suggests the losses suffered in the recent years are way lesser than initial losses in the first few years. The ISL Central Pool Revenue added up to the team finances is finally showing its worth and the league is supposed to break even by 2023-24.

HOW THE ISL CENTRAL POOL REVENUE WORKS?

The private players and corporates which sponsor the league to gain brand visibility pool the central pool. 20% of the revenue in the central pool is earned by FSDL as organisational dues while 80% of the central pool is divided equally between the participating teams (i.e 10 presently). The 2019-20 ISL Central Pool has shown trends that clubs like NorthEast United, Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC may soon break even with their brilliant sponsorship deals assisted by the central pool. Teams are sure to break even as more sponsorships arrive with bigger brand visibility with the AFC Champions League and Longer duration of the league.