The 70-day long Indian Super league (ISL) reached its finale on 20th December. Its first edition has been a huge success.
The success of ISL
ISL was successful in achieving its primary aim of revolutionizing the Indian scenario of football.This is evident from the fan support received at each stadium, the competitiveness of the league, and the spirit and enthusiasm of franchise owners. Till the last leg, all the teams were equal contenders of the semi-final.Their passion for victory was apparent.
After the revolution kicked off on October 12, footballgained importance in people’s daily discussionsat offices, dinner tables and widely on social media. The likes of Romeo, Sandesh, Cavin, Durga, Balwant have suddenly became household names. Nita Ambani was joyous to see the overwhelming response Indians gave to ISL.
ISL is created to let football win. It is a platform to benefit Indian players, providing them the right atmosphere and giving them exposure to international standards, facilities, training, diet and coaching. It reflected a difference in their attitude and body language. Indian boys are second only to Brazilians in the league in termsof number of goals scored.
Nita Ambani’s dedication in the league
Nita Ambani has given her complete involvement to make the league a huge success. She said, “I have the pleasure of being part of the strong IMG, Reliance and Star team. Personally, I like to get into the minutiae of every task, be it at my school, our newly launched hospital, my foundation work or in sports at Mumbai Indians.” She finds these as opportunities of learning and discovering.
Her biggest challenge in ISL was to create pitches and infrastructure in varied cities. “We have overcome all the challenges with our team efforts. But, we have a long journey before basking in the glory of success. We will take small steps and reach our destination of success,” she said.
The grassroots program
ISL also launched its grassroots program and all the clubs have strong commitment towards its development. They actively participate in giving ideas for reaching out to children through schools, communities and maidan initiatives. Tangible action for this will be witnessed in all 8 regions – Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Guwahati, Delhi, Pune, Goa and Kochi -from January 2015 onwards.
Besides this, Reliance Foundation has also announced ‘Young Champs’ program, in which talented children in the age group of 10 to 13 will be picked for their holistic development through a full-time residential football and education scholarship.
The future of ISL
Mrs. Nita Ambani and her team will review the complete first edition after the final and work towards enhancing the overall experience. Mrs. Nita Ambani wants to strengthen this league and make it even bigger and better in the coming years. “ISL is bound to develop further as an opportunity for youngsters. India has no dearth of talent, we need to show them the right way, nurture and provide opportunities to our youth,” she said.