International Player Draft -Star studded Indian Super League (ISL)

Hero Indian Super League, in the present times, is the most anticipated tournament this year. Its International Player Draft was held at the Taj Palace, Mumbai with the participation of eight clubs going for specific strategies in forming the spine of their respective team line ups. The event was quite a star studded one as it was attended by international stars and talented youngsters who have already excelled in the sports both for their country and also for world renowned Premier leagues of the world. It was perhaps befitting that their entry into Indian Football was designed at an event which held close to the monumental Gateway of India with Arabian Sea in the background.

This event was quite a remarkable one as it marked the fulfillment of the players’ draft, in both India and World, for the inaugural moment of Indian Super League which kicks off on October 12, 2014. There will be total 56 international players, 49 from the international player draft and seven being contracted by the clubs directly, have also been included in the ISL, equally allocated in eight different clubs. Earlier in July 2014, the clubs had been selected 112 Indian Players to compete the domestic players. The 49 players who were chosen in the league have already played more than 9000 matches and they will be bringing a commendable range of experience and competition in the ISL, as expressed Andy Knee, Vice President of IMG.

Kushal Das, General Secretary, All India Football Federation, thinks that “Indian Football needs a new dose of adrenaline.” He also said that the main focus is on Youth Development and Grassroots which is actually the base of the pyramid. On the other hand the organization is also concerned about the commercial aspect of the game. He stated, ‘We hope ISL will be the game changer for Indian Football.’ AIFF President Praful Patel is also quite delighted as he thinks ISL is going to be an unstoppable force in the history of Indian football. Not only so this tournament is going to be an outstanding opportunity for the players to imbibe the best practices and latest techniques.

AIFF, under Praful Patel contributions, has been able to deliver a professional approach in the sport to make football the number one sports in the country. ISL is surely going to give the players a strong platform where they can get an international exposure and not will be able to learn newer concepts of playing.

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