Problems and Current Opportunities in The Grassroot of Indian Football

Sports Management: Study over the
problems and current opportunities in the

grassroot of Indian Football
Name: Soumik Paul

Roll: 29405019003
Class: BBA 6th Semester
Batch: 2019 – 2022
Future Institute of Engineering and Management
Mentor: Dr. Bhaswati Bhattacharya

1. Introduction:
 Sports Management
Sport management is the field of business that focuses directly on sports and
recreation. Many different subjects are incorporated into sports management
such as administration, finance, law and ethics.
 Problems in grassroot of Indian Football

Former football captain Bhaichung Bhutia once said on the need to focus on
grassroots development in order to make an India a force to reckon with at the
Asian level.
Bhutia explained that by focussing on the long-term goal of strengthening the
grass roots, Indian football will be able reap its benefits at the Asian level and
the world stage.
"We need to produce good quality players. That's very important, when I say
that I don't mean we don't have good players now. But in order to compete in
Asia and at the world level we need to produce bigger better players from the
grassroots," Bhutia said during a social media live session with the All-
Indian Football Federation (AIFF).
 Current opportunities
With a population of 1.2 billion, it is discontenting to see India at the
staggering end of the FIFA World rankings. In the past decade, great strides
have been made to develop football in India, the Indian Super League which
was launched in 2013 has been a turning point for Indian football. With an
ever-increasing fan base, foreigners sprucing up the level of play, investment
into the game and interest from international clubs the future of Indian
football looks bright. But is this enough? While we are appreciative of all the
positive developments in Indian football, one area still needs to constantly be
the focus; promoting grassroots football and executing a proper nation-wide
strategy to get children to train and play can literally change the game.
2. Comparative Study on the problems
and current opportunities Indian
Football:
2.1. Lack of infrastructure
One of the major problems in Indian football is the absence of infrastructure.
Whether it’s proper stadiums or training grounds, the sport is severely lacking
in a lot of areas. Most I-League venues are multi-purpose stadiums and need
major refurbishment to be ready for the 2017 Under-17 global football
tournament. A majority of the venues either belong to the state government
or local municipalities, and not to the football clubs. It goes without saying
then that they are not maintained properly and are frequently made available
for public shows and concerts. Because of these poor facilities, the senior
national team often has to go abroad to prepare for international tournaments
and even the under-23 side will be training in a foreign country ahead of this
year’s Asian Games.
2.2. Slow youth development

The lack of adequate youth development programs has been holding back
Indian football for more than four decades now. Although the AIFF has tried to
change that in the recent past by starting regional academies, the progress has
been slow especially compared to some of the higher-ranked Asian countries.
The I-League clubs should also take much of the blame for this as most of them
still don’t even have academies, with some clubs only assembling youth teams
a few weeks before any tournament rather than running them throughout the
year. Age fraud also continues to overshadow many youths’ tournament.
2.3. Unprofessionalism of clubs

One of the main reasons why the I-League hasn’t been made a separate legal
entity is that the clubs don’t have their own house in order. Proof of that came
last year when all participating clubs failed in the AFC club licensing test. Pune
FC eventually got the national license but that too only on appeal. Some of the
clubs have taken the AFC club licensing criteria seriously in the last 12 months
but plenty of progress still has to be made on and off the pitch; there is still no
I-League club that plays their matches in their own stadium. There are also
instances every season of clubs not paying their players on time, with some
dues not being cleared for seasons.
2.4 Absence of a football culture

Because of the four factors listed above, football in India is still not considered
a serious profession. Although the sport is very well followed in the country, a
recent survey revealed that less than 6% of the football viewing population
watches domestic football. Even in places like Kolkata whose football history is
rich, cricket has become a more viable option than football due to the lack of
opportunities at the top level. Kids play football seriously at school and college
level but then there is a huge vacuum after that as there are not enough clubs
and the platform of the I-League is neither big nor attractive enough. Perhaps
the Indian Super League will change that.
3. Literature Review:
Through this study, the researchers aim to highlight the significance of

grassroots sports development in India. To identify the important stakeholders
and their role by creating a collaborative framework ensuring a sustainable
grassroots sports eco-system. The overall objective is to recognize the
challenges impacting grassroots sports development, identifying the relevant
stakeholders, and the importance of collaboration to help create a sustainable
grassroots sports eco-system. In addition, we have explored grassroots sports
initiatives in other countries with the effectiveness of relevant stakeholders
involved. Finally, this study proposes a collaboration framework for effective
grassroots sports development initiative in India.
4. Objectives of Studies:
 To study the field of Sports management.

 To study the problems and current opportunities in grassroot of Indian
Football.
5. Research Methodology:
5.1. Population
India is the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.22 billion
people (2012 census), more than a sixth of the world's population.
 Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to
be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing China, its
population reaching 1.6 billion by 2050.
 By age demographics, 54 percent of India's population is under the age

of 25, which amounts to 550 million young people. 65% of the
population is under 35 years old. In 2012 an analysis of recently
released census data reveals that the median household size in urban
India is now less than four for the first time in history.
 The data on the households shows that 56% of households in urban

India now have four or less members. This is a marked change from 10
years ago, when the median household size in urban India was between
four and five members. India has 247 million household
5.2. Number of schools in India (Primary and Secondary)
 There are 759 686 primary schools in India. 10 And the number of secondary
schools is 117 006.
 There were 228 994 454 students enrolled in different recognized schools of
the country with a 13.67% growth in student's enrolment in all classes.
 There was 26.77% increase in total number of schools in the country during
2002-09.
 The All-India Educational Survey estimated that half of Indian schools have
sports facilities.
5.3. Colleges to train PE teachers
There are 189 colleges which train Physical Education teachers in India.14
involving approximately 20,000 students of Physical Education.
5.4. Adult Five –a side-football
 The increased interest in 5-a side-football in India is evident in the corporate

and student tournaments across the country. An increasing number of college
students and young professionals are taking to five-a-side football, a smaller
version of the actual game, both for physical fitness and serious competition.
Five-a-side tournaments conducted in the past three years have attracted not
just colleges, but even companies and district-level teams.
 Another proof of the increased interest is the growth of 5-side- football
tournaments with the participation of women, organized by Care India. The
initiative is spread through the colleges in India.
 In 2013 Pepsi Cola have initiated a 7-a-side league in with over 450 teams in
Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, Ludhiana and New Delhi.
5.4. Sports Market Revenue
 According to Techno Pak Advisors, the size of the sportswear market in

India is around $240 million and it is growing at 15 per cent year-on-
year.
 Manchester United now have 6 six more stores and 60 stalls in

department stores in India.
 The sportswear retail market in India is estimated at INR365.8 billion

and is expected to grow at a robust CAGR of 33% during 2020–2021.
The market includes sports apparel, footwear and accessories, with
footwear being the largest segment, accounting for around 60% of the
total market.
5.5. Internet penetration
 Internet subscribers in India grew to 164.81 million as of March 31,

2022, with as many as seven out of eight net users in the country
accessing the services via their mobile phones, according the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India TRAI. The total number of mobile internet
subscribers stood at 143.2 million at the end of the last fiscal year.
 As of March 2022, India’s total mobile subscriber base amounted to

867.80 million. It also means one in six mobile subscribers accesses the
internet on the go.
 Indian blogging audience grew 48 per cent to close to 36 million; 26 per

cent of the total blog traffic came from mobile and tablets.
 On an average, 217 minutes or over three-and-a-half hours are spent

on Facebook every month by Indian users. Over 54 million Indians
watched online videos on their PCs, a 27 per cent increase year on year.
5.6. Watching Football on TV
 India boasts of the second-largest overall television market in the

world with 148 million TV-owning households, which is 27% larger
than the US market.
 According to Ten Sports, total television viewership for the UEFA

Euro 2020 grew 33% over the last edition. "Football is currently
the third most viewed sport in India after cricket and wrestling,"
said Atul Pande, CEO, and Ten Sports - the official broadcaster of
the I-League for seasons 2013-2014, 2014-2015.

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Sports Management: Study over the

problems and current opportunities in the

Name: Soumik Paul

Future Institute of Engineering and Management

Mentor: Dr. Bhaswati Bhattacharya

 Problems in grassroot of Indian Football

2.2. Slow youth development

2.3. Unprofessionalism of clubs

2.4 Absence of a football culture

Through this study, the researchers aim to highlight the significance of

 To study the field of Sports management.

 By age demographics, 54 percent of India's population is under the age

 The data on the households shows that 56% of households in urban

5.3. Colleges to train PE teachers

5.4. Adult Five –a side-football

 The increased interest in 5-a side-football in India is evident in the corporate

 According to Techno Pak Advisors, the size of the sportswear market in

 Manchester United now have 6 six more stores and 60 stalls in

 The sportswear retail market in India is estimated at INR365.8 billion

5.5. Internet penetration

 Internet subscribers in India grew to 164.81 million as of March 31,

 As of March 2022, India’s total mobile subscriber base amounted to

 Indian blogging audience grew 48 per cent to close to 36 million; 26 per

 On an average, 217 minutes or over three-and-a-half hours are spent

 India boasts of the second-largest overall television market in the

 According to Ten Sports, total television viewership for the UEFA

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