Former Indian national team footballer IM Vijayan is excited and looking forward to the Indian Super League season which has shifted into a longer season due to most matches on the weekends. Viajayan feels that weekend centric matches will attract more craze for the sport all over the country and there will be more people supporting their clubs on the stands aswell. He feels that the upcoming 2022-22 ISL season will start a new revolution in football in India.
The ISL fixtures where announced by the organizers a few weeks ago where the league starts from October 7th with the league phase running till February of next year followed by the extended playoffs which will be held in March.
“Having one or two games at the end of the week is better for the fans and the team. As all the teams are playing in their respective time slots, the fans will get a better opportunity to enjoy well. The excitement among the fans will also increase. The players will also get enough rest,” shared IM Vijayan on being asked about the changes in the ISL fixtures schemes.
The new ISL format will see the matches being held in between Thursdays and Sundays. All the eleven teams will go through 20 matches within 21 weeks. Vijayan feels that a longer calendar ensures increased time and adequate rest for the players in between the matches. The season has already started with the Durand Cup and after the ISL season, the season will end with the Super Cup.
IM Vijayan feels that a longer European style calendar will help Indian football to progressively move forward and will also help the next generation to play football. “It is time for India to position itself better progressively in Asian football. A European-style approach to the calendar will benefit Indian football, regional football, and all sectors of the people who depend upon football for their livelihood. It will inspire the young generation who dream of playing football professionally,” Vijayan added.
The Indian football legend shared how the increase of games in Indian football should also mean an increase in time between two games or else injuries will increase. He is a huge advocate of the time required for rest recovery among the footballers. “As the number of games increases, the intervals between games should increase proportionately. Otherwise, the chances of injury are high. Increasing the number of games by giving enough rest time is good for all the players,” Vijayan concluded.
The Indian Super League season will start on October 7 as Kerala Blasters will host East Bengal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. The Yellow Army will be in the stands after a couple of years and it promises to be a full house with two of India’s fiercest fan bases clash against each other on the opening night.
