Related Articles
The Indian Super League (ISL), often known as the Hero Indian Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a men’s association football professional league in India. It is the country’s premier football competition and is organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and their commercial partners Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL). Like I-League, ISL is the premier football tournament in India. The fifth season of ISL 2018-19 will be contested from September to March by 10 teams from different locations in India.
In order to boost the popularity of Indian football among national and international audiences, the AIFF signed a new 15-year contract with Reliance Industries and International Management Group in 2010, which brought the idea of having an Indian League that can re-install the craze of the game into the hearts of Indian people and can be broadcasted all over the world into the picture. As a result, the Indian Super Competition was established in 2013, and the professional league was renamed Hero Indian Super League for sponsorship reasons.
About
The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) is India’s premier football league, which began on October 12, 2014. ATK FC won the inaugural season of the league, while Chennaiyin FC won the second season. In the third season of the Hero ISL, ATK FC reclaimed the trophy, their second in three years, while Chennaiyin reclaimed the championship in the fourth season. Bengaluru FC won the championship in 2018-19. ATK FC came back strong in the 2019-20 season, adding a third trophy to their collection. Mumbai City FC won the 2020-21 season, which also saw the admission of SC East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan.
The league is co-sponsored by Reliance and Star India, as well as the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The league’s 11 franchises are situated in the following cities: Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Jamshedpur, and are extensively invested in by India’s greatest businesspeople and sports superstars.
About Teams
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) suggested in July 2017 that the Asian Football Confederation recognise the Indian Super League. The Asian Football Confederation accepted the idea, and Indian Super League teams were permitted to compete in the AFC Cup, assisting the ISL in gaining more deserved attention both domestically and abroad.
ISL was able to grow to ten teams because to increased recognition. The following were the teams at the commencement of ISL.
1- Atletico de Kolkata (ATK)
Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) was founded on May 7, 2014, and is one of the first teams constituted in the Indian Super League. It is affiliated with the All India Football Federation. It symbolises Kolkata, West Bengal. Sourav Ganguly, a former Indian cricketer and current BCCI chairman, owns this franchise. The team’s current head coach is Sanjoy Sen. Salt Lake Stadium is the team’s official stadium.
2- Bengaluru FC
The Bengaluru FC football club was founded on July 20, 2013. It is owned by the JSW Jindal group of Mumbai. They entered the Indian Super League in 2018-2019 and are the current Indian Super League champions. They won the I-League championship in 2013 and 2014.
The majority of the club’s matches are held at Shree Kanteerava Stadium. Carle Cuadrat, a former Spanish Football team coach, is the current head coach.
3- Delhi Dynamo (Odisha FC)
Odisha FC, originally known as Delhi Dynamo, is an Odia professional football team based in Bhubaneshwar. It competes in the All India Football Federation’s Indian Super League. With the launch of the Hero Indian Super League in October 2014, the club began playing. In August 2019, the club changed its name from Delhi Dynamos to Odisha FC and relocated its headquarters from Delhi to Bhubaneshwar.
The club is owned by a ship recycling corporation based in the United States. Josep Gombau is the current head coach. The team’s home venue is Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.
4- FC Goa
Goa Football Club was launched on August 26, 2014, by Dattaraj Salgaonkar and Srinivas Dempo. Virat Kohli, Akshay Tandon, and Jay Modi are the current owners of the franchise.
Goa is India’s only state that has designated football to be its official sport. The team’s initial head coach was Brazilian footballer Zico, and the prominent players during the first three seasons were Brazilian defender Lucio and French winger Robert Pires. Fatorda Stadium is the team’s home stadium.
5- Kerala Blasters
Former Indian cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar owns the team. The official name of the team, Kerala Blasters FC, was announced on October 27th, 2014, and is based on the nickname of its owner, Sachin Tendulkar (Master Blaster). David James, a former England international goalkeeper, was the team’s first head coach. He was also an important member of the team. The team’s home venue is Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
6- Mumbai City FC
Mumbai City FC was founded in August 2014 by Ranbir Kapoor and Bimal Parekh, a chartered accountant by profession. D Y Patil Stadium was the home stadium of Mumbai City FC. Freddie Ljungberg was the major player at first, and Peter Reid was the head coach.
The team’s coach and important players have changed, and Jorge Costa is now the head coach, with Diego Carlos and Amine Chermitti as crucial players.
7- NorthEast United FC
NorthEast United FC, or NEUFC, is the first team to represent a whole area rather than just a state or a city. Its headquarters are in Guwahati, Assam. This team is owned by Bollywood actor John Abraham. The club is made up of eight Indian states: Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Joan Capdevilla is the team’s marquee player. Eelco Schattorie is the team’s current head coach. The team’s marquee players are now Federico Gallego, Borges, and Ogbeche. The team’s home games are held at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.
9- Chennaiyin FC
It is a Chennai-based football club that was also established in 2014. Abhishek Bachchan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Vita Dani own the squad jointly.
England midfielder John Gregory is the team’s head coach and manager. The team’s home ground is Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.
10- Jamshedpur FC
Jamshedpur Football Club was founded in 2017. It was founded after the TATA group won the bid for sport expansion, and it has its own stadium. The JRD TATA Sports Complex is the club’s official home stadium. The team’s head coach is Steve Coppell.
11- Hyderabad FC
Football Club Pune City, presently known as Hyderabad FC, was also established in 2014. The club’s first proprietors were the Rajesh Wadhawan group and actor Arjun Kapoor. Following the 2018-19 season, the club ran into financial and technical difficulties, forcing it to hand over ownership to Hyderabad-based IT group owner Vijay Madduri and former Kerala Blasters CEO Vijay Tripuneni. The owner chose to relocate the franchise to Hyderabad and renamed it Hyderabad FC.
Hyderabad FC’s home matches will henceforth be played at G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium, which was established in August 2019.
