MUMBAI: ‘Size doesn’t matter, its about doing things right’. These were the words used by LaLiga’s India head Jose Antonio Cachaza to kick off an insightful address on ‘Building a Viable Football Ecosystem’ in India at the Star Sports India Football Forum 2018 in the city, organised and curated by SportzPower on 30 November.
Cachaza spoke in reference to the growth of Indian football taking many years to produce desirable results for stakeholders. He stressed on the importance of having a well-thought out and co-ordinated strategy amongst all of them, keeping in mind the resources available to make plans successful.
Despite the Indian Super League being four seasons old and the rise of the national football team, Cachaza argued that corporate involvement in non-cricket sports in the country continues to be inadequate as India is the sixth largest economy in the world.
The same rationale was given to explain the television rights phenomenon for which India and Spain cannot be compared, according to him. In this regard, La Liga is valued at $1.5 billion at present, which suggested that India has a long way to go and the issue mustn’t be the main focus at present.
Being at the heart of the Spanish league’s efforts to woo the Indian market by primarily targeting grassroots development, Cachaza emphasised upon the role of parents and coaches in encouraging more youngsters to take up football. He made a passionate appeal to shed the ‘result and money oriented’ and ‘competitive’ mentality and instead advised to introduce football in schools and colleges across the country as an activity of fun, so that a genuine love for the game is established amongst them.
He opines that such an upgrade of culture will not only create efficient, professional footballers but also passionate enthusiasts across the country who may not go on to play the game in the future. Though less in numbers, Cachaza considers the role of the young, educated, urban market extremely essential for building a strong economic system for the sport, which will go on to attract more corporate and media interest.
The La Liga India head pointed out that the biggest challenge for Indian football is that it is a regional and not a national sport just as yet, something which IQuest CEO Nitin Kukreja had also talked about during his speech at the event. IQuest is the company that owns the Kerala Blasters side in the Hero ISL.
As of the league’s future plans to expand in the Indian market, Cachaza feels that it is vital to find the right balance between gaining monetary benefits and corporate social responsibility (CSR). With 30 ‘La Liga Football Schools’ to be opened across the country within the next 12 months in partnership with Delhi-based India on Track (IOT), the La Liga will now expand its focus on training 100-200 local football coaches across regions by Spanish homegrown trainers.
They will be provided with advanced technologies, strategies, other technical and financial support which will encourage more football professionals to take up coaching as a potential full-time career opportunity. Cazhaca argued that the move will also help the La Liga train the youth even better and make them prepared to gain exposure in Spain as well, should they be talented and disciplined enough to play at higher levels.
