Premier Futsal plans to go to Dubai for last leg of Season 2
Final, semis to be held abroad; tournament to be telecast in 50 nations
Premier Futsal, which began its journey last year, is planning to go international in Season 2, through its association with the Dubai Sports Council.
The first season last year was held in India, but telecast in at least 10 countries. The semi-finals and final of the second season will be hosted in Dubai. Matches of the tournament would be telecast on Dubai Sports Channel, which will be the official broadcast partner for the semi-finals and the final in August.
The promoters are also planning to telecast the tournament in 50 countries, having brought Mediapro on board as a strategic partner. This also marks the entry of the Spanish company into the Indian market.
Dinesh Raj, managing director, Premier Futsal, said, “Last year, we had said Premier Futsal will go global in Season 2. Dubai seemed like the best place to start. With so many international players in the league, it’s the perfect place to hold the final leg of the tournament. Also, with a truly cosmopolitan population, we expect a strong stadium attendance.”
He added the long-term partnership between Premier Futsal and Dubai Sports Council will ensure growth of this unique format.
Initially, there were plans to increase the number of teams, but for now, there would be the six teams from the last season. However, the number of matches would increase to 27, with each team facing off with others twice instead of once like last year.
Vimala Britto, co-promoter, Premier Futsal, said, “It is in line with our expansion plans to take Futsal to the world, replicating its success in India by launching the marquee property in the US, China, Southeast Asia and Europe over the course of the next five years. We are guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for innovation and entrepreneurship, and motivated by his vision to make India a successful sporting nation.”
To fund the expansion plan, Premier Futsal promoters have earmarked a budget of $10 million (about ~65 crore).
Raj said the Dubai leg of the tournament would also help get international brands on board. While the league is in talks with some brands for sponsorship, nothing has been signed on the dotted line as yet.
Saeed Mohammad Harib, general secretariat, Dubai Sports Council, said, “Along with Premier Futsal, we seek to work towards paving the way for the youth of our country to cultivate their sporting and cultural talents and aptitudes in a way that leads them to achieve national and international accolades.”
Matches would be telecast on Dubai Sports Channel, which will be official broadcast partner for the semi-finals and the final
Premier Futsal said it had reached 50 million television viewers and had nearly 700 million engagements with the property across the world. The league garnered nine million TV views in its first season in the UK and six million in West Asia. These are the biggest markets outside India, where the league captured 30 million impressions on TV over its 10-day telecast. The final of the tournament had 300 million tune-ins globally, including on social media.
The All India Football Federation had raised objections regarding the league last year, and earlier this year reasserted those, calling it unauthorised. However, Raj was confident of the league progressing smoothly.
Captain of the Indian national cricket team Virat Kohli is a co-promoter and the brand ambassador of the league, and will continue to be the face of the tournament this year as well.