 "Premier Futsal to spend Rs 45 crore on marketing in debut year")
The Premier Futsal league, which goes live this July, will be spending as much as Rs 45 crore this year on promotions and marketing. The league, governed by the Futsal Association of India (FAI) with accreditation from the international governing body, Asociacion Mundial de Futsal (AMF), was launched in Mumbai in April.
The league will take place from July 15-24, featuring eight teams from different cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Kochi and Chennai. Futsal is a 5-a-side variant of football with two halves of 20 minutes each. The Chennai franchise has already been successfully bid for by the promoters of the existing football club Chennai City FC. The other cities are expected to close bidding and announce promoters in the coming weeks.
NP Singh-led Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) picked up the media rights for the tournament for a minimum of five years, and is expected to spend around Rs 10 crore on promoting the league, according to league officials.
Dinesh Raj, MD, Premier Futsal says, “The format may seem new, but it is faster and may even be more relatable as many people play five-a-side football in their school, societies et cetera. We are going to focus on on-ground marketing, familiarising people with the game and its players.”
The league recently announced that former Portuguese international and multiple Champions League winner Anderson Luís de Souza, better known as Deco, has been signed to play in its inaugural season. Last week, musician A R Rahman released the Futsal anthem — the first such project undertaken by him — in the presence of the league’s brand ambassador, Indian test captain Virat Kohli.
Raj adds that while marketing is one part of establishing a league, the promoters are also looking at educating the team owners and officials. “For the first year at least, we will not be keeping a salary allowance or cap for the teams. The league will be undertaking the cost of player acquisition and drafting players to the teams. Right now, even the team owners aren’t very well versed with the strengths of different players, and we as the promoters, are in a state to provide a balanced team to the franchises,” says Raj.
He estimates that the team promoters will end up spending around Rs 8 crore to Rs 10 crore in the first year, despite the absence of huge player costs. This cost will include franchise fees, player and team management and the teams’ marketing and promotional costs.
The league will take place from July 15-24, featuring eight teams from different cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Kochi and Chennai. Futsal is a 5-a-side variant of football with two halves of 20 minutes each. The Chennai franchise has already been successfully bid for by the promoters of the existing football club Chennai City FC. The other cities are expected to close bidding and announce promoters in the coming weeks.
NP Singh-led Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) picked up the media rights for the tournament for a minimum of five years, and is expected to spend around Rs 10 crore on promoting the league, according to league officials.
Dinesh Raj, MD, Premier Futsal says, “The format may seem new, but it is faster and may even be more relatable as many people play five-a-side football in their school, societies et cetera. We are going to focus on on-ground marketing, familiarising people with the game and its players.”
The league recently announced that former Portuguese international and multiple Champions League winner Anderson Luís de Souza, better known as Deco, has been signed to play in its inaugural season. Last week, musician A R Rahman released the Futsal anthem — the first such project undertaken by him — in the presence of the league’s brand ambassador, Indian test captain Virat Kohli.
Raj adds that while marketing is one part of establishing a league, the promoters are also looking at educating the team owners and officials. “For the first year at least, we will not be keeping a salary allowance or cap for the teams. The league will be undertaking the cost of player acquisition and drafting players to the teams. Right now, even the team owners aren’t very well versed with the strengths of different players, and we as the promoters, are in a state to provide a balanced team to the franchises,” says Raj.
He estimates that the team promoters will end up spending around Rs 8 crore to Rs 10 crore in the first year, despite the absence of huge player costs. This cost will include franchise fees, player and team management and the teams’ marketing and promotional costs.
