AIFF moots new structure for top football league

Panaji: The () has assured stakeholders that it will follow the ‘Roadmap’ established with the (AFC) in 2019, starting with promotion and relegation for the first time this season in the top-tier Indian Super League.
In the draft contract uploaded on the federation’s website as part of the request for proposal (RFP) inviting bids for awarding its commercial rights for a period of 15 years, the federation said the league will start in December this year, and will have promotion and relegation implemented at the end of the 2025-2026 season.
The team that finishes at the bottom of the ISL will be relegated while the I-League champions get promoted to the top tier. Relegated teams will be eligible for “parachute payments”, providing them a springboard back to the top flight.
The parachute payments, AIFF believes, will help clubs adapt to reduced revenues in the lower division.
The new 2025-2040 commercial structure for the league also does away with franchise fees, with clubs’ previous payments to the organisers ranging from Rs 12 to 16 crore, depending on the city where they are based. Now, the AIFF has introduced a new pattern of payment to the commercial partner, with founding clubs paying 10% of their revenue (excluding central revenue and grassroots grants), while non-founding clubs will pay 20% of their revenue for 10 seasons from their entry into the competition.
Clubs typically make Rs 10 to Rs 20 crore annually in revenues.
The company that wins the bid has been asked to contribute 2.5% of its gross revenues for the first five years and 5% for the next 10 years towards “grassroots development of Indian football.”
“The participating teams will receive a minimum of 70% of contributions made by the Company (commercial partner) for grassroots development and such amounts would be distributed equally between the teams. The balance amounts shall be distributed to the I-League clubs basis discretion of the AIFF,” states the draft contract.
From 2025-26, the league will implement a “football video support system” as part of its broadcast/match infrastructure, while the Video Assistant Referee or VAR adoption can be mandated after five years, if both the AIFF and the bid-winning commercial partner agree.
The commercial partner will have to pay ₹37.5 crore or five per cent of its gross revenue, whichever is higher, annually to the AIFF. In return, the federation will ensure at least 189 matches in the top tier with 14 teams being involved in a double round robin format, besides the seven-match playoffs.
If there are less games, the commercial partner can submit a written request to the AIFF for a reduction to the guaranteed payment but “under no circumstances, shall the guaranteed payment amount for first year of the term be reduced below Rs 30 crore.”