ProKabbadi League teaches how to build a successful sports league
ProKabbadi League teaches how to build a successful sports league READ MORE ON » S Sreesanth | Premier Hockey League | IPL | Dilip Tirkey By Joy Bhattacharjya In the 2000s, I got the opportunity to help build the first professional sports league in India. City based franchises, excellent and professional promotion, the best players in the world and one of the biggest broadcasters in the business intimately involved with the event. Style, fashion, big names and great onfield action it was the complete package. Sounds familiar! You've probably got the wrong league in mind.
Because what I am actually talking about was the Premier Hockey League, put together by the Indian Hockey Federation, Leisure Sports and ESPN Star Sports in 2005, a good three years before the IPL came around. Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt, Dilip Tirkey, Jamie Dwyer were all there to strut their stuff, and with all the bells and whistles of top quality international sport, it was an engaging spectacle. Only, it just didn't manage to interest viewers. The time slot of 8 pm was excellent but building appointment viewing was just not possible in a single month. And after two years of really excellent onfield action, India's first professional sports league called it a day due to lack of sponsors and viewership. It took two more years, and an even headier cocktail to finally make the formula work.
Also Read: From AB de Villiers to Elano Blumer how foreign players help the sports leagues What did the IPL have that the PHL did not? Celebrity owners for one, far more Indians are peoplewatchers rather than sports followers. An auction that was a television spectacle in its own right and ensured that people were already into the teams before the tournament started. And even better promotion and management than the PHL. But what it really needed most and got was dollops of luck. S Sreesanth holding on to Misbah Ul Haq's scoop to give India a World Cup win after 24 years and huge interest in the new format, an electrifying innings from Brendon McCullum to get the tournament going and enough controversy through the tournament to keep it anchored firmly on the top of the sport and lifestyle pages. The IPL's success was expected, but the magnitude
of its success took even its promoters and most fanatic backers by surprise. And it was probably the best and worst thing possible for sport in India. Up to 70% off on collections at Snapdeal Snapdeal Accelerate hair growth with this new breakthrough – Rutexil HAIR FOR SURE Recommended By Colombia It's not difficult to see how the IPL helped Indian sport. It was the first time domestic Indian sporting tournament was successfully packaged and marketed.
The IPL established a template for how a league could be designed and marketed and attracted at least another thousand crores into the Indian sport economy. Over the years it also created a critical mass of sports and broadcast professionals who could provide the expertise for all the emerging leagues. So how did it hurt? Also Read: How a successful sports league inspires millions and is a boon for athletes The single biggest issue was perception.
Every federation believed that an IPL style league gave them an instant money spinner. And a lot of sports promoters, in their haste to mop up any available sports rights paid far too much for their product. The result was often hastily thought through products where the players were overpaid and expenses far outstripped sponsorship and television revenue, and many just collapsed under the weight of their expectations. The IPL features the most popular sport in India, the best players in the world play in the league and India is among the world leaders in that sport.
No other Indian sporting league at this point has that cocktail of factors in its favour. Our international football aspirations are definitely work in progress, hockey is unfortunately not a headline sport anywhere but the subcontinent and wrestling simply does not have the base or action as a sport to rack up serious ratings. Does that mean that no other leagues can succeed? Not at all! The ProKabbadi League is a great example of a smartly designed product with low overheads, a well designed tournament format and smart and targeted promotion.
The Pro Kabaddi League succeeds primarily because it does not try to be the IPL. There are two prominent management institutes in which I take a few lectures annually which also have their own sporting leagues. One of the exercises is evaluating what makes successful leagues and does their incampus league really work. The four factors we look at are financial stability, reputation, competitiveness and fan base. The first is the easiest to establish.
If there is no way that a league can become sustainable in the medium or long term, there is a very good chance that it will fold up. The American Basketball Association was a prime example of having an excellent product but no path to profitability. Even valuations also have a quick half life if the product is not healthy. Reputation is key to success. Anyone over thirty would remember a time when the Serie A was easily the biggest football league on the planet.
It would be difficult to even begin to estimate the damage caused to it by the fixing scandals of 2006 and 2012. The Indian Cricket League is another product that advertisers started avoiding once the match fixing rumours became more founded. Competitiveness is again a given. You cannot have one or two teams dominating each year. There is no better story in international sport than Leicester's incredible title run and the British Premier League now has significant international support and interest in at least five teams. For the Spanish League to take that next step internationally, Atletico Multibaggers in the Madrid and the other teams will just have to start winning more often. And finally, you need fans who support the team. It's probably the most important factor of all. If nobody really cares whether you win or lose, the best mounted, most elaborately televised and skillful sport will be without heart. Sport is finally about passion, and nothing kills it more than the lack of that. In 2010, the ICC T20 World Cup was hosted by the West Indies.
Matches were scheduled early in the morning to catch prime time in the subcontinent. And there was no worse advertisement for the game than to have India or Australia play in front of fifty bored spectators. Interestingly, the tennis ball leagues run in both those management institutes ticked all four boxes.
They were financed by the students, who actually made cartels to buy teams, had transparent rules, large swings in fortunes thanks to students graduating or new students joining and a small but passionate following on campus. If they can get it right while in college, the future can't be all that bad!
Joy Bhattacharjya is the Project director of the Under17 Fifa World Cup 2017. He was also the Team Director of IPL's Kolkata Knight Rider
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...essful-sports-league/articleshow/53441326.cms
ProKabbadi League teaches how to build a successful sports league READ MORE ON » S Sreesanth | Premier Hockey League | IPL | Dilip Tirkey By Joy Bhattacharjya In the 2000s, I got the opportunity to help build the first professional sports league in India. City based franchises, excellent and professional promotion, the best players in the world and one of the biggest broadcasters in the business intimately involved with the event. Style, fashion, big names and great onfield action it was the complete package. Sounds familiar! You've probably got the wrong league in mind.
Because what I am actually talking about was the Premier Hockey League, put together by the Indian Hockey Federation, Leisure Sports and ESPN Star Sports in 2005, a good three years before the IPL came around. Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt, Dilip Tirkey, Jamie Dwyer were all there to strut their stuff, and with all the bells and whistles of top quality international sport, it was an engaging spectacle. Only, it just didn't manage to interest viewers. The time slot of 8 pm was excellent but building appointment viewing was just not possible in a single month. And after two years of really excellent onfield action, India's first professional sports league called it a day due to lack of sponsors and viewership. It took two more years, and an even headier cocktail to finally make the formula work.
Also Read: From AB de Villiers to Elano Blumer how foreign players help the sports leagues What did the IPL have that the PHL did not? Celebrity owners for one, far more Indians are peoplewatchers rather than sports followers. An auction that was a television spectacle in its own right and ensured that people were already into the teams before the tournament started. And even better promotion and management than the PHL. But what it really needed most and got was dollops of luck. S Sreesanth holding on to Misbah Ul Haq's scoop to give India a World Cup win after 24 years and huge interest in the new format, an electrifying innings from Brendon McCullum to get the tournament going and enough controversy through the tournament to keep it anchored firmly on the top of the sport and lifestyle pages. The IPL's success was expected, but the magnitude
of its success took even its promoters and most fanatic backers by surprise. And it was probably the best and worst thing possible for sport in India. Up to 70% off on collections at Snapdeal Snapdeal Accelerate hair growth with this new breakthrough – Rutexil HAIR FOR SURE Recommended By Colombia It's not difficult to see how the IPL helped Indian sport. It was the first time domestic Indian sporting tournament was successfully packaged and marketed.
The IPL established a template for how a league could be designed and marketed and attracted at least another thousand crores into the Indian sport economy. Over the years it also created a critical mass of sports and broadcast professionals who could provide the expertise for all the emerging leagues. So how did it hurt? Also Read: How a successful sports league inspires millions and is a boon for athletes The single biggest issue was perception.
Every federation believed that an IPL style league gave them an instant money spinner. And a lot of sports promoters, in their haste to mop up any available sports rights paid far too much for their product. The result was often hastily thought through products where the players were overpaid and expenses far outstripped sponsorship and television revenue, and many just collapsed under the weight of their expectations. The IPL features the most popular sport in India, the best players in the world play in the league and India is among the world leaders in that sport.
No other Indian sporting league at this point has that cocktail of factors in its favour. Our international football aspirations are definitely work in progress, hockey is unfortunately not a headline sport anywhere but the subcontinent and wrestling simply does not have the base or action as a sport to rack up serious ratings. Does that mean that no other leagues can succeed? Not at all! The ProKabbadi League is a great example of a smartly designed product with low overheads, a well designed tournament format and smart and targeted promotion.
The Pro Kabaddi League succeeds primarily because it does not try to be the IPL. There are two prominent management institutes in which I take a few lectures annually which also have their own sporting leagues. One of the exercises is evaluating what makes successful leagues and does their incampus league really work. The four factors we look at are financial stability, reputation, competitiveness and fan base. The first is the easiest to establish.
If there is no way that a league can become sustainable in the medium or long term, there is a very good chance that it will fold up. The American Basketball Association was a prime example of having an excellent product but no path to profitability. Even valuations also have a quick half life if the product is not healthy. Reputation is key to success. Anyone over thirty would remember a time when the Serie A was easily the biggest football league on the planet.
It would be difficult to even begin to estimate the damage caused to it by the fixing scandals of 2006 and 2012. The Indian Cricket League is another product that advertisers started avoiding once the match fixing rumours became more founded. Competitiveness is again a given. You cannot have one or two teams dominating each year. There is no better story in international sport than Leicester's incredible title run and the British Premier League now has significant international support and interest in at least five teams. For the Spanish League to take that next step internationally, Atletico Multibaggers in the Madrid and the other teams will just have to start winning more often. And finally, you need fans who support the team. It's probably the most important factor of all. If nobody really cares whether you win or lose, the best mounted, most elaborately televised and skillful sport will be without heart. Sport is finally about passion, and nothing kills it more than the lack of that. In 2010, the ICC T20 World Cup was hosted by the West Indies.
Matches were scheduled early in the morning to catch prime time in the subcontinent. And there was no worse advertisement for the game than to have India or Australia play in front of fifty bored spectators. Interestingly, the tennis ball leagues run in both those management institutes ticked all four boxes.
They were financed by the students, who actually made cartels to buy teams, had transparent rules, large swings in fortunes thanks to students graduating or new students joining and a small but passionate following on campus. If they can get it right while in college, the future can't be all that bad!
Joy Bhattacharjya is the Project director of the Under17 Fifa World Cup 2017. He was also the Team Director of IPL's Kolkata Knight Rider
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...essful-sports-league/articleshow/53441326.cms
