A sleeping giant about to be awakened?

Football clubs finally get some attention in this cricket-crazy country.

When FIFA president Sepp Blatter came to India a few months ago, he had said that football in the country was a "sleeping giant" and needed to be awakened.

While Blatter's words might sound cliched, people associated with the game seem to have taken him quite seriously. A few corporates, almost as if on cue, have already signalled their intention of pumping money into the game and take the game to a respectable level.

Reports indicate that a few corporates had met All India Football Federation (AIFF) officials about the probability of taking over a few existing football clubs or to start new clubs of their own. Either way, it would benefit the game immensely and with Mumbai based promoter Osian's taking over New Delhi Heroes, it could be the start of a healthy new trend.

Taking over football clubs seems to be the mantra in the world of football today. English clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have been taken over by billionaires and that has reaped rich dividends for them. But then there is a lot of difference between taking over a global brand like Manchester United and taking over an Indian club.

The top priority for corporates, though, should be setting up academies for youngsters. Most of the players actually doing well in the domestic league are foreign rejects from countries like Nigeria and Brazil. While they may improve the domestic game, to improve internationally, homegrown talent needs to be nurtured.

Nirvan Shah, head of Mumbai-based Premier India Football Academy, feels that while there have been similar talking points doing the rounds, it ultimately boils down to how you take care of upcoming talent. "Corporate support is just the starting point for the development of the game and is extremely important but it should not be restricted to sponsorships only."

The development has to take place on a larger scale.

For instance, the infrastructure is barely there. The grounds are in a terrible condition and spectators aren't encouraged to come and watch. In addition to that, there is a need to spread the game across the country rather than have a few clubs in select regions of the country.

Neville Tuli, CEO, Osian's, who has taken a lot of interest in football in the last year or so, agrees. It started off with being the title sponsor for the Durand Cup and Tuli firmly believes that the game can actually live up to its potential. "But the process will take time and a lot of nitty-gritties need to be taken care of."

For instance, football in Europe is popular because of the regional rivalries that exist. While Mohun Bagan versus East Bengal generates a lot of interest, it is limited to Kolkata and not across the country. And this needs to be addressed with some urgency.

One of the basic issues hampering Indian football is the prize money. ONGC has been the title sponsor for the National Football League and the prize money involved has almost doubled in the last few years. Says Shah, "With big bucks coming in, this is one area which could see a lot of improvement along with the other bone of contention, players's salaries."

The kind of money Indian footballers earn is comparatively low compared to other sports. Unlike other sports, where sponsors come in but struggle to maintain their interest, there are already quite a few big names associated with football for some time now.

Mahindra & Mahindra, the UB group, Tata and JCT have been supporting clubs like Mahindra United, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. Nike has a seven-year contract with AIFF to provide merchandise to the Indian clubs. But yet, the standard of domestic football has barely improved.

Zee Sports has actively been supporting Indian football and has been broadcasting domestic matches regularly. The channel feels that though viewership for football has increased in the last two years, if more sponsors come in, it is bound to increase even further.

Tuli signs off with optimistic words marked with caution, "The signs are positive but don't expect an overnight transformation of the game."

No one expects that but some transformation would be great for this beautiful game.