Indian Super League 2026-27 begins today on 10th October, witnessing the beginning of club-led model in India for the first time. The participating clubs are finally in control to own, operate and govern the competition.
How will the Club-led Model Work in India
Under this framework, there is a strict separation between commercial ownership and administrative governance.The clubs acts as the commercial custodians of ISL. They formed a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) or Managing Committee - featuring rotating club representatives that directly negotiate television and digital streaming broadcast contracts and league sponsorship deals.
AIFF still play a role as the statutory regulator of ISL. They sanction the tournament and provide match officials such as referees, match commissioners, VAR, etc., manage anti-doping panels and ensure alignment of the league with FIFA Int'l windows and AFC competition slots. AIFF gets 1.1 crore per season from each club for regulatory expenses.
The clubs share 90 % of the net league profits while AIFF gets 10 %. AIFF reserves the capacity to audit the accounts of ISL's SPV proceeds.
A 4-year agreement was signed on by the clubs and the AIFF which begins with ISL 2026-27. It includes 2-year performance review to negotiate terms if revenue fluctuates. The SPV has landed TV Broadcast rights with Sony Liv and worldwide streaming rights on YouTube. It's been 3 years since ISL last had a title sponsor (Hero MotoCorp). The SPV landed a two-year title sponsorship deal with JSW MG Motor India worth over 25 crore that renames the league title as MG ISL for 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.
Previous Attempts For a Club-Led Model in India
The rise and fall of IPFCA - In March 2012, 12 I-league clubs officially formed the Indian Professional Football Clubs Association (IPFCA). Demand for a spin-off on I-league structure into English Premier League model was raised where the clubs and the AIFF would hold equity, and day-to-day commercial management would be led by a SPV representing the clubs.Having signed a 15-year Master Commercial Rights Agreement with IMG-Reliance in 2010, AIFF lacked the contractual flexibility to hand commercial autonomy to the clubs and the IPFCA lost relevance.
2019 Unified League Alliance and AFC Roadmap demands - By 2018–2019, when the ISL was being positioned to overtake the I-League as the sole top tier, a coalition of legacy clubs, including Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Churchill Brothers and Minerva Punjab, formed a united front demanding an independent, single-pyramid league.
They again pushed for an autonomous league board with club representation to dictate scheduling, promotion-relegation pathways, and equitable commercial splits. This pressure ultimately led AFC's intervention in October 2019, and a transition roadmap was introducted that mandated promotion/relegation and paved the way for clubs to eventually gain formal structural control.
Other Countries where Club-led Models are used
1. England (Premier League) - since 1992, it has been operated by private company owned by 20 participating clubs.2. Spain (La Liga) - While integrated under Spanish sports law alongside the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), La Liga operates its own commercial operations, marketing, and strict Financial Fair Play squad-cost rules independently of the RFEF.
3. Germany (Bundesliga / DFL) - Club-led subsidiary that represented 36 participating clubs that handles licensing, operations and broadcasting, while the German Football Association (DFB) retains responsibility for the national team and amateur football.
4. Italy (Serie A / Lega Serie A) - Consortium governed by the 20 clubs to negotiate commercial and brand sponsorship deals separately from the FIGC (Italian Football Federation).
5. France (Ligue 1/Ligue 2) - Clubs decide the administrative aspects and govern commercial distribution.
How can Club-led Model affect Indian Football
Geographical spread of football - Historically, elite Indian football has relied disproportionately on three core belts: Bengal, the North-East and the Malabar coast of Kerala, alongside pockets in Goa and Punjab. In a club-led setup, owners have a commercial mandate to build hyper-local followings rather than waiting for federation initiatives.Clubs like Punjab FC, SC Delhi and Inter Kashi targeting northern or tier-2 hubs like Delhi and Varanasi could expand the geographical spread of the game. However, if club-led structures naturally favour high-spending metropolitan clubs and corporate-backed entities over football-rich but commercially smaller regions, it could shift the focus from sporting merit to commercial net worth. Regions that supply the highest volume of quality players can end up paying the cost.
Grassroots Scouting and Socio-economic Mobility -Player development will be treated as an investment asset with commercial revenue and media rights in their control. Clubs are now incentivized to build residential scouting networks in rural belts. Integrating young academy graduates into the first team will also reduce dependency on agencies.
Economy Growth beyond the Playing XI -A club-led model forces teams to run like modern sporting enterprises instead of being seasonal exhibition franchises. This creates an entirely new demographic of domestic sports professionals.
ISL 2026-27 is back in full-fledged form and the clubs are ready to listen to the fans and give them a memorable season to remember! #WeAreOpen
