After much delay, IMR-Reliance, commercial and marketing partners of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), has finally decided to float tenders for the Indian Super League (ISL).
The inaugural edition was slated for this January but in October last year IMG-R had postponed it till September 2014.
IMG-Reliance and Star India Pvt. Ltd. Sunday finally announced plans to commence the bidding process for ISL clubs through 'Invitation To Bid' tender starting Monday.
Bids will be invited through the 'Invitation To Bid' or ITB documents in respect of initial nine cities, namely Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.
Of these nine cities, winning bidders for the top eight cities will be granted the right to own and operate a new football club and participate in the ISL.
"The ITB and other bid related documents will be available on working days between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. from Monday to March 21 at the IMG-Reliance office, Bandra (East), Mumbai.
"All bidding parties need to satisfy the eligibility criteria and other requirements specified in the ITB. Interested parties need to submit the bidding documents at IMG-Reliance Mumbai office no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 25, 2014," the statement said.
The ambitious ISL will be staged from September to November and aims to foster local talent and feature international stars with the aim of making the game one of the country's flagship sports.
