Rise, Fall, and Flux: Indian football's administrative timeline
Here's a brief look at Indian football's journey from glory to stagnation
1996 First steps
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) decided to overhaul the domestic structure by launching the country's first national league, a semi-professional tournament called the National Football League (NFL). It began with 12 teams spread across two zones (West and East), with matches played at neutral venues.
Goal 2010: Gary Lovejoy (left), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Zee Sports, and Gaurav Seth, Vice-President (Marketing), at a press conference to launch the Goal 2010 scheme, in Hyderabad on July 06, 2006. | Photo Credit: K. Gajendran
2006 Popularising the game
One of the main challenges the AIFF faced was ensuring that football reached a wider audience. In September 2006, it signed a 10-year television and media contract with Zee Sports to broadcast the upcoming new I-League, along with other AIFF-organised tournaments and select international matches of the Indian national team.
2007 Going pro
After 11 seasons of the NFL, the AIFF moved to further professionalise the sport by launching the I-League in 2007. It adopted a more traditional format, where teams played home and away fixtures.
2010 Breakdown of the partnership
Despite the 10-year contract, the AIFF terminated the deal in 2010, just four years in, due to differences between the two parties regarding payment and marketing.
2011 Start of the Reliance era
After Zee Sports, the AIFF brought Reliance Industries on board. It signed a new 15-year, ₹700 crore deal with Reliance and the International Management Group (IMG).
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Nita Ambani (founding chairperson of the ISL) and Praful Patel, President All India Football Federation during the 3rd season of Indian Super League's Final match between Kerala Blasters FC and Atleico de Kolkata at Nehru stadium in Kochi. (File photo) | Photo Credit: PTI
2013 Birth of the ISL
Around the same time, franchise-based leagues were gaining popularity in India, especially following the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Taking a cue from this model, the AIFF, with Reliance's backing, launched the Indian Super League (ISL) on October 21, 2013.
2014 Initial years
Despite the ISL's fresh approach to Indian football, it initially lacked official recognition from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA. The I-League remained India's official league, meaning ISL teams were not eligible to qualify for the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Praful Patel and Sports Minister Vijay Goel launches Indian Women's League in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: PTI
2016 Pitch queens
The Indian Women's League (IWL) was launched with six teams to provide a national league for women's football. Earlier, the top competition was the Senior Women's National Championship, the women's equivalent of the Santosh Trophy. IWL winners qualify for the AFC Women's Champions League.
2017 Home stage
India made its debut in the the men's edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup as the host but finished bottom of the group, failing to reach the knockouts.
2019 Change in setup
After discussions between the AIFF and the AFC on the future roadmap of Indian football, the ISL was granted the status of the premier league competition in the country. This change allowed the ISL champion to represent India in the AFC Champions League playoffs, while the I-League winner earned a spot in the AFC Cup playoffs.
After winning the 2022–23 I-League title, Punjab FC became the first team to gain automatic promotion to the ISL
2022 A new addition
Following further AFC recommendations, the AIFF announced that from the 2022–23 season, the I-League champion would gain automatic promotion to the ISL without having to pay a participation fee. However, the promoted team would need to meet the national club licensing criteria set by the AIFF. After winning the 2022–23 I-League title, Punjab FC became the first team to gain automatic promotion to the ISL. Meanwhile, India hosted the 2022 edition of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup but once again failed to progress beyond the group stage. The tournament was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2023 I nternational woes
India made its third AFC Asian Cup appearance since 1996 but once again failed to progress beyond the group stage, as in 2011 and 2019. In the Asian Games, the team's best result since its Golden Era golds in 1951 and 1962 remained a Round of 16 finish — achieved in 2010 and 2022.
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