The IMG-Reliance and STAR India football tournament, Hero Indian Super League (ISL) isscheduled to launch on Sunday, October 12th in Kolkata. The leagueconsists of 8 teams representing Delhi, Chennai, Goa, Pune, Mumbai, Kerala, Kolkata and the North East.
Star-Studded List of Co-Owners
The league has kicked off with a rather starry start with celebrities like Bollywood actors,RanbirKapoor, AbhishekBachchan, Salman Khan and Johan Abraham associated with it. Cricketers, Sachin Tendulkar and SouravGanguly, are also associated with the league as co-owners of different teams. Most recently, cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and ViratKohli bought the Chennai FC and Goa FC teams, respectively.
India’s Leading Brands as Sponsors for ISL
In addition to this, the league has also attracted sponsorships from brands across a variety of categories. 2 months ago, Hero MotoCorp was named the title sponsor of the league for a period of 3 years. Furthermore, sports goods, footwear and apparel brand, Puma, is the official ball partner for the league. Muthoot Capital Services has partnered with the league as the referee’s jersey back sponsor.Other official partners include Dr. Reddy’s Nise Gel, Amul, Maruti Suzuki and PepsiCo.
Commercials Involved
Hero MotoCorp’s deal among many others has been signed for a period of three years. The title sponsorship came at a price tag of INR20 crores per annum. The associate sponsorship was given to Maruti Suzuki for INR8 crores a year. All other official partners have invested about INR3-5 crores per year as sponsorship fees.
This year’s event has been insured for INR600 crores. This includes INR150 crores by the promoters of the league and INR450 cores by the teams. Each team is insured for INR55-58 crores.
The Opening Ceremony for Season 1
The opening ceremony plans to showcase India and its diverse cultures. With about 200 children and 140 dancers participating, the event is expected to be a spectacular one. Priyanka Chopra is also believed to be performing at the ceremony. The audience is expected to comprise team owners and celebrities like Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited; his wife,Nita Ambani, Chairperson of Reliance Foundationand Bollywood star, Amitabh Bachchan. Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, will be the Chief Guest at the event.
The celebrations are scheduled to start at 5.30 p.m. before the kick-off at 7.00 p.m. Viewers from across the country will be able to watch the tournament on STAR India Network, the league’s official broadcaster as well as 33% stakeholder in Football Sports Development, the promoting entity of the league. Football Sports Development is a joint venture between IMG-Reliance and STAR India. Hero ISL is scheduled to be aired in 5 languages: English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada.