Global Fútbol

Cricket may remain the most popular sport in India, but football is catching up, and quickly. Several Spanish clubs have been working in India to help promote the beautiful game in the country, while LaLiga has had an office in New Delhi since 2016 headed by Director José Antonio Cachaza, currently based in New Delhi.

Cachaza reflected on his experiences as he moderated a round table at the 2021 World Football Summit, titled ‘Football in India today, and what lies ahead’. There, Cachaza was joined by Viacom18’s Business Head for Youth & English Entertainment Anshul Ailawadi, by RISE Worldwide’s VP & Head of Sales & Talent Business Nikhil Bardia and by India on Track’s Founder & CEO Vivek Sethia.

The quartet discussed football’s growth in India and the sport’s complementary relationship with cricket. As Cachaza reflected: “You can’t talk about sports in India without talking about cricket. A question I constantly have to answer when I meet journalists in India is ‘how can football compete with cricket in India?’ and my answer is always the same. We can’t and we won’t. We need to learn from cricket and we need to grow alongside cricket.”

The future is football

Bardia provided some stats that showed how cricket remains the most followed sport in the country by far, but how the picture is slowly shifting, stating: “When you look at the Indian sports market, it’s 70% cricket and 20% football. So, that’s a clear number one and number two. If you take kids from 2 to 14, about 15 percent watch cricket and 20 percent watch football. Hence, the future is very bright. What’s important to look at is how they’ve complemented each other. Look at the stars like Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli¸ who have all had participation in football’s Indian Super League. It’s all very complementary. I think everyone realises that, while cricket is dominant, football is the future.”

Appealing to the next generation is an important part of the plan to develop football in India and that’s why LaLiga is, in Cachaza’s words, “really thrilled” that Spanish football will be broadcast on MTV in India for the next three seasons. With Viacom18 running that channel, Ailawadi explained the reasoning, saying: “A lot of questions were asked as there’s music, reality shows, dating and adventure and there you’re putting European football. Frankly, for us it was a very calculated move. We were very aware that it would add to what we bring to the table and that it’d do a lot for the sport as well.”

Cachaza believes that projects like the MTV one are the way to appeal to young people, who he insists have as much interest in watching live sport as ever before. He said: “I think it’s an absolute lie the idea that young people don’t watch sports and that they only watch two-minute videos. Young people are consuming more sports, but in a different way. Yes there’s short videos. Yes there’s casters. Yes there’s fantasy leagues. All of this.”

In the view of Sethia, football can also grow further in India by taking lessons from the way cricket has embraced behind-the-scenes content. He explained: “One important change happening globally and also in India is the non-live content. Before, the interaction of football with a fan was only around the live match. But, now there is access to backroom stuff and non-live content is becoming really relevant. Cricket has really cracked that in India. I think football clubs in India are trying to do that, following the lead of European clubs as well.”

There really are many ways in which LaLiga and Spanish clubs are learning from cricket to advance the game in India, having taken the time to understand the unique culture and the country’s viewing habits.

Over the past few years, LaLiga has held viewing parties in various cities, overseen a LaLiga Football Schools project in the country, partnered with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation to promote women’s football in rural India, named Rohit Sharma as the first ever Brand Ambassador of LaLiga in India, collaborated with other influencers, partnered with Facebook for a pioneering broadcast agreement and much more.

It's not just LaLiga that is making efforts to connect with the Indian fanbase, as several clubs are doing so too. For example, Real Betis, Sevilla and Celta Vigo have organised a series of online workshops, while Girona have played friendlies in the country. Atlético Madrid even established a football club in the country, called Atlético de Kolkata, and then maintained a presence and connection with their Indian fans even after that brand was dissolved. “Atlético Madrid is probably the European club that is best working the Indian market,” Ailawadi told the audience.

Concluding the panel, Sethia reiterated the significant strides already made in India, while keeping feet on the ground since there is a lot of work still to do. As he put it: “We are in a very strong position, even if we have a long way to go. I only see growth in football in India in the next 10 years.”