The Second Division I-League, now the third tier of Indian football has been around for 12 years. A total of 78 different teams have played in the league in this period of time, including nine reserve sides of ISL and I-League clubs.
The numbers reflect well on the interest in football in the country and also the appetite to invest in a football club. However, only 11 of those clubs are still active in the three tiers of national league football in India. The others are either shut down, operate only at a local level or are active only in youth football thus raising question marks over the football ecosystem’s ability to sustain the interest and enthusiasm.
The 2019-20 season of the Second Division League has a record number of 17 teams participating but nine of those are reserve teams of ISL and I-League teams. The number of independent football clubs in the division is down to eight, the lowest it has ever been.
“Having so many reserve teams is not healthy for a second-tier league,” Yogesh Maurya, the owner of Fateh Hyderabad told Scroll.in.
The Hyderabad side played in the competition for four straight seasons between 2015 to 2019 before not taking part in this year’s competition.
“It is important to have that ambition of getting promoted across the board. A club must grow organically from the grassroots,” he added.
For a club playing in the second division, there is no other reward apart from promotion to the I-League. The competition is not marketed, the games are not televised, in most cases, there are no tickets for matches. The schedule of the league is out just a few weeks before the tournament begins and the format of the league has kept changing every 2-3 years.
It is thus extremely difficult for teams to get sponsorship. The league is an exercise that runs thanks to passionate owners who spend from their own pockets to keep the show going. As it has proved, it’s a highly unsustainable financial model.
“I like the league and the competition, but there has to be a way for teams to generate revenue. Most of the owners are not so powerful that they can keep going this way for years and hence you have seen the number of teams drop,” Maurya said.
The coronavirus blow
His decision to not invest the Second Division League for a sixth straight season is likely to be vindicated especially after the Covid-19 pandemic is threatening to wipe off the 2019-’20 season.
The campaign has been suspended with the group stage of the competition nearing its conclusion. The eight independent clubs in the competition have already invested the majority of their allocated budget for the season. But they could be left empty-handed if the season doesn’t resume.
The pandemic has also brought the I-League to a halt, and there is a growing possibility that there may be no relegation from the I-League, and thus no promotion for the Second Division League.
“We are praying to the almighty that we can have the season completed and at least have promotion,” Vikram Patel, owner of ARA Gujarat, a Second Division League team from Ahmedabad told Scroll.in.
ARA are chasing promotion and are in a strong position to qualify for the final round. Playing in their second campaign in the Second Division League, the Ahmedabad outfit are looking up to AIFF to ensure their efforts are not wasted.
“The situation is beyond our control, but we want the AIFF to try and finish the season. The I-League only begins in November so there’s plenty of time,” Patel said.
“If there is no promotion, our efforts and investment will be totally wasted. It’s something we can’t really afford,” he added.
Patel’s thoughts are echoed by Garhwal FC CEO Kishore Taid who feels the promotion is the only incentive the clubs play for.
“There is usually no financial expectation from the competition as you don’t generate revenue. But if we are having an entire season without any possible reward on offer, then it’s hard to take for the clubs and the players,” Taid said.
Garhwal like, ARA are closing in on a place in the final round of the competition and have a good chance of making the I-League.
Both teams can digest the fact that their investment may return nothing as failure to secure promotion would have left them in the same place, but being denied a chance to do so is what is hurting them.
Future participation in doubt?
The coronavirus outbreak is almost certain to have an adverse effect on the country’s economy and businesses will most likely take a hit. This could be a bitter blow to the current Second Division League clubs’ chances of fielding a team for next season.
With their own sources of income taking a hit, the owners of these clubs could struggle to raise funds for the team next season.
“While it’s not AIFF’s fault, they must do something to help the Second Division clubs. Lack of promotion would be a big blow but you don’t want more teams shutting down due to lack of funds,” Patel said.
ARA use the revenue generated from their academy to run the senior team. But due to the lockdown, the academy is shut thus hurting their resources.
“The academy is the soul source of income for us to participate in the Second Division League. But it’s shut now and with the way the coronavirus is spreading we expect it to remain shut for a few more months as we cannot expect parents to send their kids until it’s completely safe,” Patel said.
“So, if we don’t get promoted, we will have to take different view of things for next season,” he added.
For Garhwal FC, the club from the national capital, getting sponsorship for next season was a remote possibility but talks have broken down since the lockdown.
“We were in talks with a few sponsors for next season and hoping we could have someone on board irrespective of whether we get promoted or not. But with the lockdown, we haven’t been able to progress and I fear the economic impact of this could make it harder for us to get a sponsor,” Taid said.
“Most of the clubs in our division run on passion of the owners and locals, but the AIFF and the commercial partners have to do something about making the competition sustainable. Across the three tiers, owners are losing more than they are gaining. This will have to change,” he added.
With dwindling numbers of independent clubs in the Second Division League and the diminishing incentives on offer, the current coronavirus outbreak along with AIFF’s inability to make the football ecosystem viable for clubs with moderate financial strength is making things difficult for India’s lowest tier. The owners of its clubs face a test of their passion.
