The ‘academic effect’ on Bengaluru’s football culture

“Even before the Indian men’s football team makes it to the FIFA World Cup, the women’s team is likely to qualify considering the stage the team is currently in and the new pool of talent that is emerging. A large part of this success can be attributed to the academic culture that has grown tremendously over the last decade,” said Saravana Dharaman, Assistant Secretary, Karnataka State Football Association.

Several academy owners have pointed out that the football culture in Bengaluru has been driven by different factors in different periods of time. While earlier it was the sports culture of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) from the 1970s to the early 2000s, at a later stage it was the emergence of academies.

Bappaditya Bhattacharjee, founder and director of Roots Football Club, explained that when PSU dominated the football scene in Bengaluru, there were role models in the form of marquee players that youngsters looked up to, which helped sustain interest in the sport across the city.

“Once PSUs stopped recruiting and their teams were gradually disbanded, suddenly there were not many idols for youngsters to look up to, which could have led to a decline in interest in the sport. A combination of television, the IT boom, schools promoting football and other factors kept the pulse of the game alive,” Mr Bhattacharjee said. Although PSU disbanded its teams, former players kept the coaching scene alive.

However, it was the growing demand for structured education that gave the main impetus to the rise of academies.

As Mr. Bhattacharjee said, international schools and leading educational institutions that have sprung up alongside the IT boom in Bengaluru have been actively promoting football. Television, on the other hand, brought foreign leagues such as the English Premier League closer to children. Together, these factors have kept conversations about the sport alive and contributed to its overall development.

This also marked a shift in the class of those who played the game, as entry into the academy raised the question of affordability. Mr. Bhattacharjee pointed out that earlier football was considered a poor man’s sport, but after 2000, the trend changed as the popularity of the game grew. “Even in educational institutions, footballers are seen as ‘cool kids’. This aspect has also helped increase the popularity of the sport,” he said.

The Rise of Academies

Krithya, a manager at an academy in the city, pointed out that when schools started forming their football teams and participating in inter-school tournaments, youngsters who missed out on making a team, as well as those who simply wanted to learn the sport, started enrolling in the academies, creating significant demand.

Mr. Bhattacharjee said that when he started his academy in 2009, there were barely two other such institutions in the city. Today, Bengaluru has nearly 70 academies, underscoring both the demand for structured training and the strength of its football culture.

On the other hand, the KSFA Youth Premier League provided a renewed push for development by introducing a stronger competitive element. This attracted more young players, which in turn created a greater demand for quality academies.

Mr. Dharaman said Karnataka teams are currently represented in all the major leagues, which in itself underscores the flourishing football culture in the state, especially in Bengaluru.

The founders of the academy said the city has a base of more than 2,000 youth with quality skills. Mr. Bhattacharjee noted that while India remained a few years behind in the global football landscape, the emerging group of players had the potential to bridge the gap.

Women’s football

Mr. Dharaman said there are nearly 30 women’s B division teams, 10 women’s A division teams and 10 women’s Super Division teams, underlining the rise and growth of women’s football in the city.

Schools fielding women’s teams, along with parents breaking stereotypes and encouraging girls to take up the sport, have been major factors behind this growth, he noted, with the launch of the Karnataka Women’s League adding further impetus.

(The series ends.)

Published – 21 Jun 2026 21:11 IST