The lessons from NHL to PHL

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">MUMBAI: Eight years of National Football League (NFL) has accomplished two things for the sport in India. One, it has enriched and upped the lifestyle of a generation of players. Two, it has impoverished and stymied the growth of the game. Two contradictory facts, and entirely debatable too.<br /><br />To cite one example of their improved way of life, Indian footballers nowadays talk in terms of lakhs of rupees and have the deep pockets that allow use of air transport, even when not travelling for matches.So now, there are many pros who have taken the risk of making a career out of football unlike players from the past who depended on employment as a means of income. But despite the riches, Indian football, using FIFA rankings as a yardstick, seems only to be moving deeper into the bottomless trench that was first dug in the early 70s.<br /><br />As Indian hockey enters the uncarpeted territory of the Premier Hockey League, football, it''s equally poor cousin, can offer analysis and advice.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Birth pangs</span>: The club culture in football is very strong and deep-rooted. Hence, an NFL, popular and tested for over a century in most nations, was inevitable in India. It began with similar tom-toming that is now seen with PHL. Restricted to just a handful of cities, NFL failed to sustain interest within two years.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Cause celebre</span>: Like ESPN, which is promoting hockey now, football had the backing of Star Sports. With uplinking facilities not easily available unlike nowadays, there was little live coverage. Resultantly, no revenue was generated. Within two years, NFL was off the radar and soon the sponsors too disappeared. Hockey will need to find a way to keep this difficult marriage alive.<br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Club vs city</span>: Fans will be able to identify with PHL teams as they carry names of cities or regions (Maratha Warriors, Shere-e-Jallandhar etc). In football, while clubs had a following in Goa and Kolkata, patronage suffered in Mumbai and Kerala. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Division II league</span>: It is largely non-existent in football. Almost all nations have equally strong lower division and junior leagues as their first division. With NFL itself floundering, a division II league was not sustainable. A big lesson for hockey.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Death of tournaments</span>: Oldtimers often narrate how they would travel for three months in Kerala and Karnataka, playing one tournament after another. The number of clubs participating would only grow each year. The NFL has spelt euthanasia for tournaments. What happens to office teams once the PHL starts is something the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) needs to ask themselves.<br /><br />Widening the web: An inter-Kolkata-Goa League. That''s what the NFL has been reduced to. Teams like Mahindra United, JCT and SBT (every alternate year) are only there to make up the numbers. This year, NFL will be held only in Kolkata, Mumbai, Goa, Phagwara and Thiruvananthapuram. PHL is being held only in one city now (Hyderabad). </div> </div>