Why the Toyota Yaris La Liga World is important for Indian Football?

The tournament could pave the way for more European teams looking at India as a pre-season destination.

Pre-season football in India has always been a low-key affair with most traditional preferring to play against their reserves and other local sides. Players have often been seen lacking fitness or suffering from injuries in the early stages of the season, which ultimately used to take a toll on their performances.

With the advent of the Indian Super League (ISL), that scenario changed. The franchises took special care of the players and made them match-fit by conducting pre-season tours in Europe and the Middle East. This year, Kerala Blasters is ready to set the bar even higher by becoming the first Indian football club to organize an international pre-season tournament, that too in India.

The tournament is set to begin from July 24 in Kochi

Set to be held in between the 24th to 29th of July 2018 in Kochi, the Toyota Yaris La Liga World will be a tri-club championship, featuring Australian side Melbourne City FC and Spain's Girona FC. Both these clubs are under the umbrella of the City Football Group, which is best known for running Premier League champions Manchester City. While the former plays in the Australian A-League, the latter is a part of the Spanish La Liga.

Excitement regarding the tournament is already high in the football-loving state of Kerala and is expected to reach fever-pitch after the end of the World Cup. Girona FC will be the first Spanish first division club to be playing in the sub-continent while the La Liga ambassador and Real Madrid legend Fernando Morientes will be the face of the entire event.

Speaking to the media after the official announcement, Morientes said, ”It gives me immense pleasure to be a part of such a historic moment. Pre-season tournaments are the best preparatory ground for a club to prepare for the season ahead. I remember how playing pre-season friendlies helped me identify the areas that I needed to work upon and be better prepared. I would like to wish all the very best to all participants and am looking forward to a closely-contested tournament.”

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Interestingly, this contest will not only be a great preparation for the Blasters in terms of quality of opposition faced but will also open the floodgates for more regular, international competitions. La Liga has been targeting the Indian market for a while now, eager to tap into the vast fan-base of Real Madrid and Barcelona followers in the country. They not only extended support to the Indian national team during the recently concluded Tri-Nations Cup but also shared the Sunil Chhetri’s viral video seeking support from the country’s citizens. If the tournament turns out to be a success, the possibility of having more Spanish clubs from the top tier will open up in the successive years.

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Having enjoyed great success in the digital medium, the Spanish FA will now be using this tournament as a yardstick to measure the league’s popularity in India. Eventually, the possibility of having the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona over for pre-season games might turn into a reality, like it has for the Australians, Japanese and Chinese. Moreover, with the English FA and the City Foundation also monitoring the rise of the game’s popularity in the world’s largest democracy, doors to hosting a Premier League Asia trophy may also open up in the near future.

All in all, the tournament will not only be a competition of epic proportions but it also has the potential to be a landmark moment in the modern history of Indian Football. Make sure to follow all the games on your TV or your phone, because the time has come for Indian Football and it is just getting started.