In global football conversations, the Premier League (PL) stands as the gold standard for how a domestic league can transform an entire sporting ecosystem and national economy.
In contrast, India’s Indian Super League (ISL) operates in a vastly different environment one where football fights for space, investment, and attention in a cricket-dominated landscape. But the ISL still holds a place in India similar in intention to what the PL is in the UK, the flagship product meant to drive football’s growth, build cultural capital, and elevate the nation’s sporting economy.
The crucial difference?
The Premier League sits atop a mature football pyramid backed by decades of culture, infrastructure, and economic stability. The ISL, meanwhile, is still trying to build that pyramid while also sustaining itself financially. The current standoff between AIFF and FSDL as the Master Rights Agreement approaches its 2025 expiry only highlights how fragile India’s football ecosystem still is.
What the Premier League Means to the UK Economy
To understand the contrast, one must first understand just how enormous the Premier League’s impact is on the UK economy. According to EY’s 2023–24 economic assessment, the PL contributed £9.8 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK a staggering figure for a sports competition. It generated £4.4 billion in tax revenue, with players and club staff alone contributing £2.1 billion in taxes. More than 104,500 full-time jobs were supported by the league and its associated industries. And perhaps the most telling figure: the PL generated £1.7 billion in international broadcast exports, nearly equal to the rest of the UK TV sector combined.
In short, the PL isn’t just a league. It is a national economic engine a cultural export, an employment generator, and a regional development tool. Its clubs anchor local economies, particularly in the North West, where a single region accounts for over 30% of football-related employment. The league’s global appeal also strengthens the UK’s soft power, attracting tourism, investment, and international attention.
Where the ISL Stands in India
Now compare that to India. The ISL is only a decade old, operating in a sports market where cricket consumes nearly all media share, sponsorship money, and public attention. Every year, ISL franchises reportedly lose between INR 10–20 crore just to operate. FSDL itself has sustained losses for years. Unlike the PL where media rights fund the league and its clubs Indian football simply doesn’t command the viewership or broadcast value to financially sustain itself.
The financial strain is widespread. Clubs struggle to break even. AIFF receives INR 50 crore annually from FSDL under the current rights agreement, but that guaranteed income could disappear if ISL moves to a more risk-sharing model. Without clarity on the next agreement, FSDL has said it cannot commercially plan future seasons, prompting clubs to warn that they may shut down operations. For a league meant to function as India’s top football product, the ISL remains economically vulnerable.
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Culture plays a colossal role in this comparison. In the UK, football isn’t merely a sport. It is a cultural backbone, a generational tradition, and a shared identity. That cultural base fuels stadium attendance, merchandise sales, community programmes, and youth participation all of which feed back into the PL’s economic machine. In India, the ISL is still trying to create that culture. Many football fans follow European leagues rather than Indian clubs. Stadium attendance varies widely, and most clubs lack deep historical ties with local communities. The grassroots pipeline is improving but still inadequate to supply the league with a large talent base.
The ISL, therefore, occupies a symbolic but incomplete role. It is India’s attempt to create a top-flight football product that inspires young players, attracts sponsorship, and establishes football as a viable sporting career. But unlike the Premier League, the ISL is building both the product and the ecosystem at the same time — a far more complex and fragile undertaking.
A Needed Shift: Learning from the MLS and PL Models
The ongoing AIFF–FSDL impasse raises a key question: what model should the ISL adopt to survive long-term? One proposed solution is the MLS-style “investor-operator” model, where clubs do not individually own players or teams outright; instead they operate under a central league authority. This aligns incentives and reduces fragmentation one of the PL’s greatest advantages, where clubs and the league share a mutually beneficial commercial structure.
FSDL’s proposal to restructure ISL ownership under a holding company, with clubs owning 60%, FSDL 26%, and AIFF 14%, moves in that direction. But AIFF’s concerns about losing guaranteed income show how India’s football governance still prioritizes short-term payouts over long-term ecosystem growth a stark contrast to Europe’s football pyramid, which reinvests heavily into infrastructure, community programmes, and lower leagues.
For India, the ISL needs to evolve into something closer to the Premier League’s role in the UK not in scale, but in purpose. It must become:
- An economic anchor, not a financial liability
- A cultural driver, not just an entertainment product
- A community connector, strengthening local football identity
- A pipeline supporter, not disconnected from grassroots
- A stable business, attractive to investors and broadcasters
The Premier League shows what is possible when sport, governance, and economics align. India may be decades behind, but the blueprint exists. What the ISL is today is the beginning.
What it becomes will determine the fate of Indian football.
