A Glimpse into the Future

The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup took place in Delhi in December. Personally, I was looking forward to the tournament because the it gave me an opportunity to watch countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, etc… play live which I’ve never experienced before. Professionally, I was excited because the tournament was set to take place in the beautiful Nehru Stadium and I was interested in evaluating things like game day experience, fan development, marketing and operations.


I went to 3 matches: India v. Afghanistan (group match), India v Maldives (semifinal) and India v Afghanistan (final). The crowds were smaller than expected, the game day operations mediocre and product poor, however I was inspired by the tournament; not because Sunil Chhetri, a player whom I know fairly well, won every possible tournament award available. I was inspired because the SAFF Cup gave me a small peak into the future of football in India.

It was a wonderful moment seeing India holding a championship trophy in football live for the first time in my life. I don’t care if it is the SAFF Cup or the FIFA World Cup , there is a special moment when you are listening to your country’s national anthem while watching the players celebrating a victory. I was also pleased in seeing how beautiful the Nehru Stadium outer area and pitch looked. It had me believing that we finally have the right venue to host high profile international matches and tournaments here in the future.

Someone like me who moved his whole life to India primarily to support the growth of football in this country has to look at every opportunity to be inspired by the possibilities that exist within the sport. The day my colleagues and I were on the field celebrating India’s win, all I could picture was one thing; India winning an AFC Cup Final in Nehru Stadium…one day.


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