AMIDST MUCH FANFARE a football club from Mumbai was named Mumbai FC was launched in 2007. Mumbai FC were not the only club from Mumbai but the intention was to enter as community –based club.
The backers of the club were Essel Group. At the grand launch, the then Managing Director, Amit Goenka as reported by Rediff said,
"Every Mumbaikar who feels he or she has the talent to play football, in the age group of eight to 40 years, will get a chance to participate in the development of football culture in Mumbai"
Goenka went on to state,
"As a responsible corporate house, we always wondered about the depth to which the standard of football has fallen during the past many years. We believe the standards of any sporting event can improve only when the corporate houses take active interest in developing the game at the grass root level."
The statement seemed to be positive but somehow it was never lived by the management in totality. The best ever finish for Mumbai FC was fifth position in the I-League in the 2015-16 season.
Mumbai FC, with the signings, ticked all the right boxes to get going on the right note. Henry Menezes, ex-India Goalkeeper was appointed as the General Manager of the club. On the launch occasion, he said,
"India lacks community-based teams that people can relate to. The launch of Mumbai FC will be a platform for the football community in Mumbai, soon becoming a powerhouse for football in the country. This is going to be a great challenge to the entire team behind Mumbai FC and we are committed and confident of living up to the expectations."
David Booth was the head coach of the club. His experience in coaching the national sides of Myanmar and Brunei came in handy. He had also worked in the UK, Ghana, Vietnam, Thailand and Maldives.
Big names such as Khalid Jamil, Dane Pereira, Noel Wilson, goalkeeper Kalyan Chaubey were part of the grand launch.
In their very first season, Mumbai FC qualified for the I-League after winning the I-League 2nd division with dominance. The debut season in the I-League saw Mumbai FC finish in the seventh position among some strong and senior teams to fight against.
When Mumbai FC entered the I-League, local club, Air India were their rivals and both teams shared the Cooperage as their home stadium. In the year 2009, when the Cooperage underwent renovation, Mumbai FC had to shift their base to Kolhapur for playing their home games. For three seasons thereafter Mumbai FC were forced to move to Balewadi Stadium in Pune to play their home games there.
In the constant troubling of having to travel even for their own home matches, Mumbai FC managed to hold firmly to avoid relegation even in the most difficult of times. This was the time that former player, Khalid Jamil was in charge of the team.
Over the years, there was one thing clearly missing for the club. And that was the lack of interaction with the fans from the club management's part. Mumbai, with having two clubs from the city had garnered interest from the fans when the team started playing their out the newly renovated Cooperage in the 2014-15 season.
If there was interest about the club in the city, it was certainly due the multiplier effect of fans attending home games and cheering on. Football lovers had started to get organised and had started doing their bit and used the social media well to publicise about the club. Attendance numbers were growing.
To Mumbai FC's benefit, they were the only club playing in the top division as Air India were eligible to play in the I-league due to change of rules by the Federation. The market to capture even more fans attention and increase ticket sales was there but somehow it was never tapped into.
The team was struggling to stay in the league, fans stood by the club's side, keeping the support firm and number constant. Players gave it all on the pitch, Khalid did his best to keep the team's dream afloat by avoiding relegation on many occasions with the humblest of budgets. The focus of the management to build a title-aspiring squad was not there. Attention of the fans was on the club but the management never acknowledged that. The connect between the club management and the supporters was never there and till date there remains a void. This is highlighted by the missing information from the club after being relegated about further plans.
In the footballing system that is likely to undergo a structural change in the coming years, clubs are at their wit's ends to begin preparation in the off season with respect to squad building or chalk out the tournaments to be played for the year. Only one team has been relegated from the I-League in the last season. As per reports, the DSK Shivajians won't participate in the next edition of I-league.
This leaves a team less for the I-league, it is to be a 10-team tournament. Could be possible if the Federation considers a former team like Mumbai FC to be recalled in the I-League. But does Mumbai FC have any intention to play top division?
Mumbai's youth who are already well versed with European & Spanish football was ready to embrace Indian Football with its arms wide open, we have seen the same when Indian national team played against Puerto Rico & Nepal when thousands of football fanatics stormed the stadium to support our national players.
With ten years of monopoly in hands, Mumbai FC could have done wonders but when the club looks back at their progress card, it won't be happy with the initiative they started back in 2007. Worse, the management is yet to respond to the ardent fans, who are left wondering about the future of the club. Going ahead, Mumbai FC may or may not get back to top division football in the country, but the apathy demonstrated by the management in conveying any concrete decision to the fans is more appalling!