A lot of pomp and splendor was wrapped around the Indian Super League (ISL) which became India’s first genuine attempt at creating a professional football league.

The ISL follows the mold of the MLS in the USA and A- League in Australia.

All India Football Federations (AIFF) concept is to create a football league that will captivate India’s 1.2 billion citizens who are more preoccupied with India’s national sport of Cricket and its premier competition the India Premier League (IPL) which is valued at around $3 billion.

That is the reason AIFF partnered with American Media Giant IMG- Reliance. IMG-Reliance bought exclusive rights over sponsorship, advertising, broadcasting, merchandising and franchising for the new Indian Super League.

India with little football culture formed 8 new football franchises to compete in the new league.

The franchise owners are a mixture of Bollywood celebrities, Indian Star cricketers, millionaire business owners and a number of European football cubs.

This is the formula the Indian Premier league (Cricket) continues to use to spice up public interest.

The ISL has also borrowed the MLS (American league) Draft system of picking players that keeps fans engaged even before the league has begun.

ISC also engaged the English Premier League to help improve various aspects of the league from Broadcasting to match officiating. All these factors have helped create a league that has begun to captivate thousands of fans around India and beyond.

To imagine that before 2010 the Indian league was played on several rundown pitches and attracted crowds of less than 1,000 and was still run by the AIFF which made most potential sponsors shun the league.

The ISL has finally got it right, so why has Africa which is said to be a football mad continent failed to even come close to anything like the ISL?

A look through African league shows that while North African leagues have great infrastructure and the best quality footballers, North African football is still not broadcast around most of Africa and few North African teams except for the big ones have brand recognition beyond the North.
The Nigerian league while having a lot of potential with the biggest football market in Africa has failed to attract those crowds to support local football.

The Kenyan Premier League is one of the fastest growing leagues in Africa and is also the most improved over the last five years. But aside from the two giant teams Gor Mahia FC and AFC Leopards, most of the other KPL clubs hardly have any fans with less than 500 fans turning up for league games that don’t involve the big two.

Africa’s most lucrative league the South African PSL is the most developed African league and can even rival several European leagues but the PSL also has a problem of attendance. Football games not involving the Top 2 (Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando pirates) can attract few fans with even Kaizer Chiefs getting less than 3,000 fans at some games this year.

The Zimbabwean PSL league is coming up, the Ugandan Premier League is finally back after years of confusion while the Zambia Super league in the same boat the ISL was in before 2010 where the FA still runs the league.

All African leagues have yet to figure out the formula of good marketing, good facilities, huge crowds and a true continental appeal.

A marketing executive in Zambia noted “In Zambia many companies spend a lot of money on football, just not Zambian football”.

Another key player in Zambia’s Sports Marketing field Lombe Mbalashi noted.

“Companies want a platform to leverage their products and services and football is one of the most powerful tools used. Once we realize this, we will not be complaining of lack of sponsorship but actually begin creating value for these companies that will see them reward each club with the money it deserves”.

Mbalashi who runs Innovation Sports Consultants also said; “African football leagues have a great opportunity to create a platform for sponsors and then reap the rewards, it’s up to them”.

The ISL opened with the theme “Lets football” while in African football it remains to be seen whether it can finally be allowed to grow.

http://www.kawowo.com/index.php/opinion/item/19525-puncherello-chama-what-lessons-from-the-indian-super-league-can-africa-learn.html