So Thursday I attended my first ISL match at the National Stadium. It was going to be interesting to see how the on-field product was, after reading how certain coaches slammed the public for low attendance earlier.
Perhaps the cry-out did some good, as there were probably at least 300+ in attendance, over double what was reported in the newspapers. The organisers appeared to have put in a lot of work making attending the game a fun experience. There were plenty of fan giveaways, there were DJs in the broadcast booth pumping music to keep the crowd livened up, although I think the volume was a bit too high during actual game-play. An assortment of ball-kids was around to keep the game flowing although I think that a few of the kids were too bored at times to focus on when they neded to deliver the replacement balls.
The game itself was very entertaining and I think that Commissioner David Bascome had a formula to get non-soccer fans interested in the game as it features opportunities for quick goals and fast action. Game play itself was about as expected; probably on par with regular BFA matches in terms of quality. The game was heated and I think the officials tasted probably more heat than they ought to have; and there was an injury late in the game that held up proceedings while no less than a dozen persons tried to determine the next course of action for the injured athlete.
When all's said and done, I give kudos to the ISL and would encourage people to give it a whirl. Ticket prices are reasonable for the inaugural season and I'm sure that I for one will be going to a future match.
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