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IMG Reliance invites bids for Indian Super League football teams
MUMBAI: Football too would now have twenty-20 cricket’s Indian Premier League-like tournament. Football Sports Development, a company owned by IMG-Reliance , and broadcaster Star India, today invited bids for Indian Super League (ISL) football teams from Indian companies.
Football Sports Development plans to hold the Indian Super League tournament from September to November 2014. The league will look to foster local talent and feature international stars with the aim of raising football’s popularity in the country.
The league will be played in strict accordance with international standards and regulations. The league will have world-class international players play with the best from India. Each team will consist of a minimum of 22 players consisting of 1 marquee player, 7 international players and 14 Indian players. And each team will have a set of home and away matches.
The league is backed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the commercial partner of IMG-Reliance. The league is expected to attract an entire new generation of sports fans into the football grounds throughout the country and is expected to help expand the market for football in the country.
An Indian company can collaborate with a foreign company to bid for a team.
Bids have been invited for nine cities — Bangalore, Chennai, Dehli, Goa, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. The top eight bids will win the right to own and operate football clubs and participate in the Indian Super League.
The league promises to revolutionise the sport, leveraging the strengths of all three partners who are focused on uplifting the game to national prominence and offer Indian football greater global exposure.
All bidding parties need to satisfy the eligibility criteria and other requirements specified in the invitation to bid. Interested parties need to submit the bidding documents at IMG-Reliance Mumbai office no later than 5:00 pm on 25 March 2014 and the winning bids will be announced in the first week of April 2014.
Actor Shah Rukh Khan, who owns the IPL cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders, has already expressed his interest in owning a football team in the Indian Super League.
Star India, which also owns broadcast and sponsorship rights, will use its sports properties to take the league to millions of households and also monetise the content on and off the field.
Globally, football is the world’s favourite sport, ranking in the highest in terms of participation, number of fans, TV viewership, sponsorship and revenues. Annual revenue for football globally is estimated at $28 billion, according to a study by AT Kearney.
Star India, which also holds telecast rights to BCCI cricket matches in India, will use its superior content creation, packaging and presentation expertise to attract and retain viewer interest.
The Indian Super League will also implement various football development projects aimed at holistic development of the sport in the country, including engaging with the masses to get them excited about football, encouraging families to regularly involve their children in football, creating an infrastructure to identify talented footballers at a young age and groom them into elite professionals and creating a critical mass of highly talented coaches to work at all levels of football in India.
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NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
