Mumbai: I-League CEO Sunando Dhar was one of the many delegates to grace the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI) convention on the business of football in India – GOAL 2019.
One of the key points of discussion was the exponential growth of the football ecosystem in India. Speaking of the growth of football clubs, Dhar mentioned how club licensing was one of the best things to happen for Indian football.
“Best thing to happen is club licensing and it’s very good. It has done wonders. It professionalized the setup, forced them to invest in grassroots and youth,” he said.
Dhar emphasized on how clubs are encouraged to delve into the pool of local talents, citing a few examples like Chennai City and Real Kashmir. He is hopeful that this will ensure good overall development of football.
“Teams need to take responsibility for developing talent in own region. Chennai city and Real Kashmir have done that, Minerva and all, giving local talent a chance to play is good for the club and Indian football in general, will become better.
“We have introduced home grown rule for the same. Would help to increase talent pool,” Dhar concluded.
