Indian sport needs more events like BPL Live

The surprise on the faces of Peter Schmeichel, Emile Heskey and Robbie Fowler was evident when Indian fans of Liverpool started singing ‘You’ll never walk alone’ followed by the melodic ‘Liverpooool’ chant and another one reserved for their beloved striker - God. The emcee of the show then milked the Manchester United section — asking them to drown out Liverpool voices by singing ‘Glory Glory Man United’. The Red Devils didn’t have to put too much effort 90 minutes later — their ‘Oh Robin van Persie’ adding salt to the wounds of Mumbaikars supporting a club from Merseyside. There were about 20,000 people at the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai for the Barclays Premier League Live event — there were massive banners, flags, original jerseys with had Jose Mourinho’s face drawn on them (along with ‘Special One’ at the back), old United Umbro shirts with the Sharp sponsor, Leicester City goodies and even a jersey with No 26 and Sir Alex at the back — etched with multiple autographs. Along with food and beverage stalls — there were tents of almost every Premier League club across the grounds — and two massive screens showing the Indian Super League semifinal between FC Goa and Atletico de Kolkata from Salt Lake and the Manchester United vs Liverpool clash live from Old Trafford. [caption id=“attachment_1850783” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Fans at the BPL Live event.[/caption] The message before the game was to ‘keep it clean’ if things got dirty on the pitch thousands of miles away in England. Such was the passion and the organisers knew it could get messy. There were two lounges on either side of the screen — for VIPs and the media — serving alcohol and food throughout the event. The Premier League trophy was on display and there was a small astro-turf pitch to play on, along with a ’test your skills and control’ area. [caption id=“attachment_1850785” align=“alignleft” width=“620”]  A young fan poses with Liverpool’s mascot.[/caption] When Juan Mata scored the second goal of the match, a few fans walked over to a disbelieving Heskey, trying to convince him that Van Persie didn’t get a touch on the ball as it made its way to Mata. The touch meant Mata was offside when he scored but no whistle was blown. There was a short discussion with John Dykes about whether David de Gea was among the top three keepers in the world. These experiences sharpen a fan’s interest in a sport. But here’s the best part about the event — entry was free. Even parking. Apart from cricket, sports stadiums in India are rarely sold out. The new Pro-Kabbadi league managed to sell out games but they were played in smaller, indoor arenas. ISL and Indian Badminton League tickets are easy to get. Such events lack the atmosphere only a packed house of passionate fans can provide. That’s where events like BPL Live can step in. They go a long way in showing fans how good it can get at the stadiums. If this is the atmosphere when a game is on TV, a packed stadium during a live game must be better. [caption id=“attachment_1850791” align=“alignleft” width=“620”]  Goal! Jubilant United fans.[/caption] The most notable success of the Indian Super League is that it has been during significant crowds at all its venues, with the NorthEast United and FC Goa playing to full stadiums at home. An event like BPL Live adds to the options for those who can’t get to a stadium and is only second best to watching players in the flesh. It raises the profiles of sports that are all too often stuck in cricket’s shadow. Since it was free, it will attract those who aren’t yet convinced of the reason to shell out money for a ticket to a live game. By doing that, they can act as breeding grounds to turn enthusiasts into passionate sports fans. [caption id=“attachment_1850795” align=“alignleft” width=“620”]  Robbie Fowler signs an autograph.[/caption] Arsenal fan Rajeev Khera said: “For a sport to be successful, it needs visibility. It needs to entice fans and dangle a carrot in front of them. Something like this is free and the atmosphere is great. I would even pay up to Rs 200 just for entry here.” Some might even grow to prefer fan events from being in the stadium. Rakesh Chapaneri, a former Firstpost blogger, does FIFA World Cups differently than most of us. Every four years, he heads off to the country country hosting the tournament but watches matches only at the fan fairs, not the stadium. The BPL live event showed how you can get a huge crowd of people without the need for a live game in the same geographic location. That is a lesson Indian sports leagues could do well to learn. It will offer their fans more choice and greater encouragement to watch sport. They’ll quickly find out there’s no dearth of them.