Isn't it obvious that it's potentially the largest football market in the world? It’s the most populous country on the planet — 1.425 billion people (and in three years it will exceed 1.5 billion — almost 10 times more than Russia), and it will hold this status for the next 100 years.
Yes, the most popular sport there is cricket. But it's precisely through cricket that you can understand the enormous potential of the sports business in India. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the second most valuable sports league in the world! Its value exceeds $10 billion — only the NFL ranks higher.
And all this growth happened in just 15 years — in 2009, Forbes estimated the average value of an IPL team at $67 million; today, the average value is already $1 billion. That’s an annual growth rate of 24%.
The most expensive IPL team, Mumbai Indians ($1.3 billion), is now worth more than 6 MLB clubs, 27 NHL clubs, and any MLS team.
So why not replicate all of this with football? Yes, football is not yet the most popular game in India, but it's growing at a breakneck pace.
It's like that joke about the shoe salesman among the Papuans:
"Get ready! The potential is unlimited! No one’s wearing shoes yet!" 😁
Over the last 10 years, the audience for the Indian Super League has grown nearly fivefold — up to 250 million people, and by the end of the decade, it is expected to at least double again. By the way, many Indian cricket stars are actively investing in local football.
The All India Football Federation has developed a strategic development program aimed at improving infrastructure and encouraging competition at all levels, providing comprehensive training opportunities under the guidance of professional coaches.
By the way, this opens up another direction for collaboration, as the Indian side is interested in our expertise in youth football, women's football, and media football.
There is also strong demand for our coaching personnel and methodologies, as well as for experience-sharing in building and developing sports infrastructure.