It was an elite gathering s Owners and Top Officials from the Hero I-League clubs met the All India Football Federation President Mr. Praful Patel at a sassy Hotel in the Capital on Thursday (July 23) evening. Besides, Mr. Kushal Das, General Secretary, All India Football Federation and Mr. Sunando Dhar, CEO, I-League, were also present.
The Meeting, very much informal, unanimously decided to create a joint concerted effort for the development of the Hero I-League and “build up a hype around the League.”
It was decided that the Clubs would nominate two Committees to promote the Hero I-League better. The two Committees – a Marketing and Technical Committee would be part of a joint Committee working collectively with all other stakeholders involving the League.
Mr. Patel stressed that the Hero I-League stays the “primary League of the Country.” “The AIFF supports the Hero I-League to the fullest and we will continue to do so,” he stated.
Mr. Dhar, recently back from an AFC Workshop in Singapore also informed about the possibility of paying a visit to top some European Leagues to “witness and learn on marketing and fan development.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Patel congratulated and welcomed newcomers Aizawl FC into the Hero I-League.
Mr. Robert Royte, President, Aizawl FC, the newly promoted Team into the Hero I-League invited all the Clubs to witness Aizawl FC’s opening match in the League.
“We are a Club who have reaped huge benefits from our Academy system. We invite you all to come over and watch us. That would be a huge encouragement for us,” he informed.
The list of representatives from the Hero I-League Clubs stay as follows:
Mr. Srinjoy Bose, Mr. Debashish Dutta (McDowell Mohun Bagan); Mr. Parth Jindal, Mr. Mustafa Ghouse, Mr. Mandhar Tamhane (Bengaluru FC); Mr. Debabrata Sarkar, Mr. Amit Sen, Mr. Arunava Bhattacharya (Kingfisher East Bengal); Mr. Nandan Piramal, Mr. Chirag Tanna (Pune FC); Mr. Atul Badgamia (Mumbai FC); Mr. Peter Vaz, Mr. Victor Fernandez (Sporting Clube de Goa); Mr. Larsing Sawyan (Shillong Lajong FC); Mr. Kunal Aggarwal (Bharat FC); Mr. Robert Royte (Aizawl FC).
