Live India, Love Football

The Indian football calendar is flawed right now.   The way it is set up is that I-League teams begin congregating in July for pre-season but don’t actually start playing league matches until sometime in January thanks to the 3 month Indian Super League tournament that goes on from October to December. So what this essentially means is that the I-League pre-season is long and with a limited number of local competitions, it’s easy for the technical and administrative staff of any football organisation to start getting antsy. All of us who are truly passionate about this sport experience its emotional roller coaster on a weekly, and sometimes, even daily basis and, while it’s not always enjoyable, the beautiful game offers an extraordinary release of pent up energy that one can always appreciate in hindsight.   Ask any footballer or passionate club supporter and most will say that they have probably suffered more than experienced ecstasy while playing for or supporting the...

I took a quick trip to Guwahati, Assam earlier in the week to meet with NorthEast United FC management and to see some of our DSK Shivajians FC players playing in the Indian Super League live.   Although I was only in Guwahati for less than 24 hours, it was a productive and enjoyable experience. The first thing I noticed when I approached Indira Gandhi Stadium to catch the 7:00pm NEUFC vs Pune City FC kick off was that there were thousands of people tailgating in the parking lot all around the venue – drinking, eating BBQed meats, listening to rock & roll music, etc… Tailgating before sports events is one of my favorite activities while in the US and it was disappointing to realize that it’s not really part of the Indian sporting culture. Guwahati completely impressed me as the NorthEast United supporters clearly knew what they were doing when it comes to preparing themselves before cheering for their beloved club. The match itself was mediocre.   NorthEast Unite...

Those that either know me, have met me or read this blog would be aware of the fact that I like to talk. Well, it’s more that I like to share.   Whether it’s a dream, a funny story, an experience…I enjoy communicating it to others.   So it’s no surprise that one of my comfort zones is being on stage as a keynote or part of a panel sharing something important to a roomful of people who are partially forced to listen to me. This was the case at last week’s Indian Football Forum.   I’ve attended and spoken at this annual conference many times over the past few years as it offers me an opportunity to connect with friends in the industry and share updates on what’s going on in my world.   Plus, the organiser, Thomas Abraham, is a good friend and someone who I’ll always appreciate for giving me the opportunity to be a keynote speaker at the 2010 Indian Football Forum which essentially was the day some of the key stakeholders of the Indian football industry figured ou...