NEW DELHI: Top officials from 18 Spanish LaLiga clubs got together in the city Tuesday, ramping up their activities in the country while mulling a collaboration with the All India Football Federation, Press Trust of India reports.
“We have come to see football’s potential for growth in India,” an official, who was part of the event, told the newswire.
“According to the report I have with me, that is the plan – a collaboration with the All India Football Federation, so that they can work on the sport in India right from the bottom to the top.”
Officials from renowned Spanish clubs such as Atletico de Madrid, Vilarreal, Valencia and Deportivo Alaves, among others, gathered here to study the Indian market and draw a future course of action for what is a potential market that needs to be tapped.
The clubs, however, were not as forthcoming when asked if they were looking for some kind of formal association with the AIFF.
“India is a huge market with a lot of following for football, La Liga as well. We know cricket is big here. But we want to help grow football in India. We know there is lot of business in India. We want to be closer to the fans here,” Deportivo Alaves president Alfonso Fernandez told PTI.
They are scheduled to meet ISL franchises on Wednesday to discuss possible associations before leaving for Spain.
Real Sociedad MD Nerea Aramburu, Atletico de Madrid’s head of communications Rafael Alique and representatives from teams like Sevilla FC, Real Betis and Girona FC, which is the first club from Spain to play in a tournament in India, were also present.
LaLiga is certainly looking to ramp up its efforts in India on a larger scale following a historic three-year deal signed between Sony Pictures Networks India and Facebook to telecast LaLiga matches on television in India, which SportzPower was the first to report on back in August.
As part of the deal, over 100 selected matches will be aired on ESPN’s sports channels, including the key clashes, El Clasico (matches between rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid) and Madrid Derby (matches between Atltico Madrid and Real Madrid).
Social media and digital media were the buzzwords on Tuesday and the LaLiga clubs are more focused on that than television.
This year, the LaLiga Football Schools were launched in Delhi and Kerala for a comprehensive development of the game in India. In association with India On Track (IOT), 30 schools are set to have academies which will reach out to 3,000 youngsters nationwide by the end of this year.
