1) A True Underdog

1) A True Underdog

Every team that has been given a franchise in ISL comes with the backing of some big name in some industry. Even East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, who are member-owned societies and not privately owned clubs, had to give away majority shares of their football divisions to corporate investors to raise enough money to enter the ISL.

This financial model has created an aura of homogeniety within the ISL that has left it without one of the most prized assets that a football league can have: an underdog.

When everyone has deep pockets and a rich corporate backer, the common perception is that they're all working from the same baseline when it comes to means and resources. This, of course, is not true. There are varying levels of budgets and willingness to invest within the ISL. But it doesn't look like that to an outside observer.

Now, it's perfectly possible that by the time Real Kashmir get into ISL they will enter a deal with a major corporate investor like East Bengal and Mohun Bagan did. But the absence of franchise fees and other required bank guarantees associated with a franchise bid makes for the possibility that they may not.

RKFC already have an up-and-running setup that operates on a fraction of the budget of a typical ISL team. With increased sponsorship revenue that the club will get when they are in ISL, they can still field a competitive team for a considerably smaller budget than others.

This would make them one of the most intriguing teams in the league. Every victory, every point they earn will mean that much more; since they'll be doing it without a rich backer or the convenience of a metropolis for a home base.

A league needs a diversity of characters in its clubs. ISL did not start out with that but as time passed, clubs like Kerala Blasters and FC Goa have developed their own identity; and clubs coming in from I-League have added more colours to the league's palette. But none of them have brought in the flavour that Real Kashmir can provide.