The influence of football and everything that it holds true has spread to many nations across the world, including India. While their own team isn’t getting as much attention and recognition as the fans would like, there is simply no denying that the sport is well alive in the country. But how big is football betting in India?
If you are a fan of football, you simply do not need anyone telling you just how international the sport is. Heck, this is a sport that has gained national recognition in a lot of nations. Take the United States, for example, there are now schools that have their own dedicated teams.
This would have been something that was unheard of years ago. In fact, it was unheard of. This is something that has just recently come to light, but it hasn’t stopped there.
Second To Cricket
You can ask any Indian national and they are without a doubt going to tell you that cricket is the most-watched and played sport in the nation. If this is the case, soccer is right there in second, although there is a huge difference in the numbers. There are two to-level leagues in India, which are the ISL (Indian Super League) and the i-League.
The ISL, of course, is considered the more glamorous of the two because it boasts a lot of bigger names than the i-League. In fact, the i-League has probably only lasted as long as it has because of its historical significance to the nation. The league literally has some teams that can be dated back to the late 1880s.
The Infrastructure Is Killing The Sport
When the AIFF (All India Football Federation) partnered with IMG-Reliance to give birth to the ISL there was more than an average attendance rating at the games. Unfortunately, those numbers have only declined over the years, as there is still a lot of room for improvement.
It really is the infrastructure that is plaguing the progress of the beautiful game. In fact, the country didn’t even have a single stadium up to FIFA standards until a year before the 2017 World Cup.
It was during this time that FIFA gave grading to several stadiums, including the host stadiums for the tournament in Delhi. You combine this with the lack of proper training facilities and it is more than hard for up and coming players to break out in the sport in this nation.
Media Is Also Lacking
Despite the degrading stadiums and the lacking of proper training for up and coming players, there is still a big demand for the sport in India. As was mentioned above, it is easily the second most popular sport in the country.
That being said, if it wasn’t for the lack of infrastructure the next thing holding the sport back would be the lack of media coverage that it gets.
It is true that the sport is getting more and more national attention thanks to newer Indian online gambling sites like https://casinocaptain.com/in/betting/ but there is also no denying that media plays a key role in spreading awareness throughout the nation.
The reach of sports greatly depends on the media coverage being provided to it and this is why cricket does so well. With multi-billion-dollar deals for coverage of domestic and international cricket matches, the nation doesn’t have a problem giving cricket the attention that it deserves.
However, there are no deals in place like this for the game of football and it is only holding the sport back. A lot of areas in the nation don’t even get access to live matches of Indian football teams.
The Future Might Be Bright
The sport is certainly still considered popular in the nation by the masses and there is no denying that there is a lot of up and coming talent in the area.
Between 2003 – 2018 the WTA Indian Open was being played in Bangalore. In 2004 the Indian player Sania Mirza won the double together with South African Liezel Huber.
A partnership no betting sites available in India had among their favourites. The following year Mirza also won the singles tournament. A title that was won three years later by the world-famous Serena Williams.
Back in the field of soccer, it is the up and coming talent that has caused the sport to see increased popularity over the last three to four years.
Now that the country’s FIFA ranking currently stands at 97 and along with the inception of the Indian Super League, people should certainly start paying more attention to the sport. It is just a matter of time before everything comes together for the sport and it really gets a foothold in the nation.