The upcoming Indian Super League will be the witness of a number of football stalwarts and a few World Cuppers of football fraternity…
ISL team Kolkata ATK all geared up for the Fifth Edition –
unveils the new red and white official team jersey.
Former Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona winger Manuel Lanzarote Bruno named as captain for entire season.
India is a football loving country. Football in India has existed in many forms since the game first arrived in the country during the 19th century with the first nationwide club competition, the Durand Cup, being founded in 1888. Despite India’s early history in the game, the country’s first nationwide football league did not begin until the semi-professional National Football League commenced in 1996.
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a men’s professional football league in India. For sponsorship reasons, the league is officially known as the Hero Indian Super League. One of the top football leagues in the country, it currently shares the top spot in the Indian football league system with the India League or I league. The Indian Super League was launched with the goal of growing the sport of football in India and increase its exposure in the country.
The Indian Super League was officially launched on 21 October 2013 by the support of All India Football Federation.The league was announced to take place from January 2014 to March 2014. A few days later however, on 29 October 2013, it was announced that the ISL would be postponed to September 2014.
At first, it was announced that bidding for the eight Indian Super League teams would be complete before the end of 2013 and that there was already high interest from big corporations, Indian Premier league teams, Bollywood stars, and other consortiums. However, due to the rescheduling of the league, the bidding was moved to 3 March 2014.
It was also revealed around this time that not only would bidders need to comply with a financial requirement but they would also need to promote grassroots development plans for football within their area. Finally, in early April 2014, the winning bidders were announced. The selected cities/state were Bangalore, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati,Kochi, Mumbai Pune , Kerala and the football hub of India Kolkata.
Former Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar along with a corporate group won the bidding for the Kochi franchise. Another former Indian cricketCaptain Sourav Ganguly, , along with a group of Indian businessmen and La liga sideAtletico Madrid , won the bid for the Kolkata franchise.
Meanwhile, Bollywood stars John Abhraham, Ranbir Kapoor, and Salman Kahn won the bid for the Guwahati, Mumbai, and Pune franchises respectively. Bangalore and Delhi were won by companies while Goa was won by a partnership between Videocon, and I-League side, Dempo.
On 7 May 2014 the first team launched officially was the Kolkata franchise as Atletico De Kolkata now on Aamar buke Kolkata i.e.Kolkata is on my chest. The next day, team Kolkata also announced the first official marquee signing in the Indian Super League, UEFA Champions League winner Luis Garcia.
On Thursday Two-time Indian Super League (ISL) winners ATK unveiled their new look official team jersey for the upcoming season, a symbol of new found grit and determination and announced the beginning of preparations for the fifth season.
Mr. Sanjiv Goenka, Principal Owner ATK and Chairman RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group along with former English Football Manager Steve Coppell, Head Coach, ATK and Assistant Coach ATK, Sanjoy Sen revealed the new look jersey and shared the team management’s plans for the upcoming fifth edition of ISL.
Philosophy of the New Team Jersey
The jersey design embodies the bold stripe pattern while the red and blue colours echo the ethos of the club. The already known colours of ATK stand for the values of the club.
Preseason in Spain
ATK had a fruitful preseason in Spain. Head Coach Steve Coppell and his men had been playing in Pinatar Arena Football Center, San Pedro del Pinatar ahead of the season opener and won two out of their three practice matches.
“We are happy to unveil the team’s new jersey for the upcoming fifth season of Indian Super League. The new jersey is the symbol of the strength and the passion the club carries with it. We are quite excited after the preseason and the players are raring to go.” – Mr. Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman RP- Sanjiv Goenka Group, Principal Owner, ATK.
“I am eagerly waiting for the start of the tournament. We have had a fruitful preseason in Spain where we got our chance to test all our players and now it is time to prove our mettle on the stage that matters.” Steve Coppell, Head Coach, ATK told the Media.
> Pratyusha Mukherjee
