I-League
| File:I-League logo.png | |
| Founded | 2007 |
|---|---|
| First season | 2007-08 |
| Country |  India |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 14 (12 till 2008-09 and expanding to 16 in 2010-2011) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | I-League 2nd Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | Federation Cup (India) Durand Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Champions League AFC Cup |
| Current champions | Churchill Brothers SC (2008-09) |
| Most championships | Dempo Churchill Brothers SC |
| Website | Official Website |
| Current: I-League 2009-10 | |
I-League is the top tier league in the Indian football league system. It was started by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in 2007-08. It replaced the National Football League which lasted for 11 seasons. The 2007-08 season was the first season for the I-League. The first game was played on 24 November 2007 and was contested between Dempo Sports Club and Salgaocar Sports Club which the former won by a three goal margin.
History
Following the decline of the NFL, the AIFF relaunched the national league for the 2007-08 season. The league was renamed the I-League and consisted of eight teams from the NFL plus two promoted teams from the former Division Two. The first ever I-league will be sponsored by ONGC, who were also the previous sponsors of the now defunct NFL. For the first time, clubs in the I-league were allowed to register four foreigners, though teams will only be allowed to field three during a match. All matches are telecast live and exclusive on Zee Sports.
Additional incentives have also been provided for Clubs participating in the I-League:
1. Subsidy of Rs. 250,000 for fielding a team in the U19 I-League and a subsidy of Rs. 250,000 for appointing administrative staff.
2. To promote greater attendances and improve the revenues of the Clubs, after deducting the stadium hire charges, 90% of the gate collection will go to the host club. The club will be responsible for the selling of tickets.
3. The club will be given two perimeter boards, six fence level boards and six boards at the first tier level at their home games.
4. Prize Money for Winners has been increased from Rs. 4 Million to Rs. 5 Million, while the Runners-up would get Rs. 2,8 Million, Rs 600,000 more than earlier.
5. The winners of each match will get Rs. 35,000, an increase of Rs 5,000.
2007-08 season
The first game was played on the 24th November 2007 between Dempo Sports Club and Salgaocar Sports Club. The introduction of the I-league seeks to change the way Indian clubs approach football. All club were required to have at least 14 professionals on their books and the introduction of a U/19 development team.
After an exciting 18 rounds, Dempo Sports Club won the championship on goal difference with Churchill finishing runners-up. Viva Kerala and Salgaocar Sports Club were both relegated and will play next season in the second division.
Following a AFC review of the I League's progress, the champions of the I-League had been awarded a spot in the prestigious AFC Champions League club championships in 2009.
2008-09 season
After a successful first season for the I League, the second season featured 12 teams from four different cities. And for the first time, the champions of the would qualify for the AFC Champions League while the runners-up qualify for the AFC Cup club championships in 2010. The bottom two teams will be relegated to I-League 2nd Division in the next season.
The I-League 2008-2009 season ran from September 26, 2008 and go until April 15, 2009 with a break in December for the Federation Cup and Durand Cup. Most games this season were played on Saturday's and Sunday's to attract a larger crowd.
As far as the prize money is concerned the winner walks away with Rs 5 Million while the runners-up would get Rs 2,8 Million. The third-placed team will be given Rs 2 Million and for the first time the team finishing 4th will also be given Rs 1 Million. The team winning the Fair Play award will be given Rs 100,000. Among the individual prizes there is Rs 50,000 for Best Striker, Rs 25,000 for the best Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder and Forward while the Best Player will also be given Rs 25,000. The Man of the Match award of every match will take away Rs 5,000. [1]
2009-10 season
The league has expanded to 14 clubs for the 2009-10 season. Salgaocar SC, Viva Kerala, Pune FC and Shillong Lajong have been promoted for this season.
Future seasons
The league is expected to expand to 16 teams from the 2010-11 season.Delhi and Bangalore will be the two new cities
I-League 2nd Division for the 2010-11 season
Clubs and stadium
I-League 1st Division for the 2009-10 season
Four clubs were promoted to the I-League 1st Division for the 2009/2010 season: Pune Football Club, Salgaocar Sports Club, Shillong Lajong Football Club, and Viva Kerala.
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| Club | City/State | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Air India | Mumbai | Cooperage Ground, Mumbai | 12,000 |
| Chirag United Sports Club | Kolkata | Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata | 120,000 |
| Churchill Brothers Sports Club | Goa | Fatorda Stadium, Margao | 35,000 |
| Dempo Sports Club | Goa | Fatorda Stadium, Margao | 35,000 |
| Kingfisher East Bengal FC | Kolkata | Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata | 120,000 |
| JCT FC | Phagwara | Guru Nanak Dev Stadium, Ludhiana | 12,000 |
| Mahindra United FC | Mumbai | Cooperage Ground, Mumbai | 12,000 |
| Mohun Bagan AC | Kolkata | Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata | 120,000 |
| Mumbai FC | Mumbai | Cooperage Ground, Mumbai | 12,000 |
| Pune FC | Pune | Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune | 70,000 |
| Salgaocar Goa SC | Goa | Fatorda Stadium, Margao | 35,000 |
| Shillong Lajong FC | Shillong | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong | 25,000 |
| Sporting Clube de Goa | Goa | Fatorda Stadium, Margao | 35,000 |
| Viva Kerala FC | Kozhikode | Municipal Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode | 40,000 |
I-League 2nd Division for the 2009 Season
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All Time Table
- As of end of 2008-2009 season
| Pos. | Team | Seasons | Most recent season |
Points | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | G.F. | G.A. | Diff. | 1º | 2º | 3º |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Churchill Brothers SC | 2 | 2008-2009 | 82 | 40 | 24 | 10 | 6 | 93 | 45 | +48 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Mohun Bagan AC | 2 | 2008-2009 | 73 | 40 | 21 | 10 | 9 | 52 | 37 | +15 | 1 | ||
| 3 | Dempo SC | 2 | 2008-2009 | 67 | 40 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 70 | 39 | +31 | 1 | ||
| 4 | SC Goa | 2 | 2008-2009 | 62 | 40 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 42 | 44 | -2 | 1 | ||
| 5 | Mahindra United | 2 | 2008-2009 | 59 | 40 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 52 | 40 | +12 | |||
| 6 | JCT FC | 2 | 2008-2009 | 58 | 40 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 1 | ||
| 7 | East Bengal FC | 2 | 2008-2009 | 47 | 40 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 48 | 49 | -1 | |||
| 8 | Air India FC | 2 | 2008-2009 | 41 | 40 | 8 | 17 | 15 | 31 | 46 | -15 | |||
| 9 | Mumbai FC | 1 | 2008-2009 | 28 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 | 27 | -5 | |||
| 10 | Chirag United | 1 | 2008-2009 | 26 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 26 | -6 | |||
| 11 | Mohammedan Sporting | 1 | 2008-2009 | 22 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 31 | -14 | |||
| 12 | Viva Kerala | 1 | 2007-2008 | 12 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 13 | 28 | -25 | |||
| 13 | Salgaocar | 1 | 2007-2008 | 11 | 18 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 20 | 37 | -17 | |||
| 14 | Vasco SC | 1 | 2008-2009 | 10 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 14 | 49 | -35 |
Institutional Football
Most football clubs in India are what are termed 'institutional' teams. That mean that they represent a company and the football club is merely a social aspect of the company for the benefit of workers. This is much the same model which was found in Japan before the introduction of the J-League. The positives are that the teams are usually well resourced with players earning decent money and the prospect of employment after their footballing days finish. On the negative side, teams only represent a few thousand workers rather than whole cities and thus do not gain broad support.
This is slowly changing with new teams such as Pune FC, New Delhi Heroes,Viva Kerala, Sporting Club-de-Goa and Mumbai FC building broad based club while retaining corporate ownership and support.
Indian I-League Ranking in Asia
| P | National League | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| 12 |  Thailand Premier League |
Grade C |
| 13 | Indian I-League |
Grade C |
| 14 |  Vietnam V-League |
Grade C |
Champions
| Year | Club | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 | Dempo SC | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 35 | 13 | 36 |
| 2008-09 | Churchill Brothers SC | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 53 | 23 | 46 |
In Asia
| Season | Competition | Club | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | AFC Cup | Dempo SC | Semi-Final |
| East Bengal Club | Group-Stage (3rd of 4) | ||
| 2009 | Champions League | Dempo SC | Playoff Round |
| AFC Cup | Round of 16 | ||
| Mohun Bagan AC | Group-Stage (4th of 4) |
Media and broadcasting
Zee Sports and TEN Sports are the media partners of the I-League for the 2007-08 season. Zee Sports signed a $70 Million deal for domestic rights for 10 years. The deal is set to be renewed for 10 more years.
References
- ^ http://www.indianfootball.com/index1.html Churchill Brothers of Goa won the title and hence qualified for the 2010 AFC Champions League.
External links
- the-aiff.com Official website of the All India Football Federation
- I League: Goal.com
- [1] - India's Premier Football Site
- Indian Club Profiles
- [2] - I-League - The Home of India's Premier League
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