Football lovers in Goa are in for a treat in the coming months. There may be no spectators allowed in the stands to cheer their favourite team, but all the matches of the Indian Super League (ISL) will be held in Goa, giving the sport a major boost in the State. There is, however, besides football much more to look forward to in the coming months, as the league in Goa could well spur the economy that has currently showed a downward slump due to the pandemic and the past lockdowns.
Hosting the ISL in the State could end up working out to be a better deal for Goa than could be expected, as the positive effects percolate even beyond the football and sports arenas. Not only will the sports infrastructure in the State, that has remained idle for months now, get utilised and even refurbished which will be paid for by the Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), but the trickle down effect of hosting the league could well be the trigger that leads to the rescue of Goa tourism from the slump that the industry has taken due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns.
As per the State Secretary for Sports, the government is expecting a minimum of around 4000 to 5000 nights of hotel bookings during the duration of the ISL. Given that the 10 ISL teams are expected to arrive in Goa in early September and the league will get underway from November, hotels in Goa can expect to be booked for a period of four to five months. It is not just the teams and the support staff, but the ISL will also draw a large number of ancillary staff who will need hotel rooms. This in itself will be a major boost, but besides rooms there will be other services that will be required for the duration of the league. Other than hotels, the transport sector too will benefit during the period, as teams and officials will have to be transported to practice grounds and the matches.
Tourism in Goa has been the industry that has felt the biggest setback in the past few months, ever since the lockdown of March and the subsequent lockdowns and unlocks. The opening of hotels in July has not helped as even the trickle of tourists that is otherwise seen in the monsoon did not come in this year. Industry stakeholders have been asking that charter flights be allowed to land in Goa so that tourism can restart, but even if landings are permitted, there may not be too many foreign travellers who are willing to risk a long flight to India that currently is the third-most affected country by COVID-19. Against this background, the ISL comes as a harbinger for the tourism industry to get it started.
Besides, a successful ISL could give Goa the confidence to go ahead with the preparations for the National Games that now stand postponed because of the pandemic. There is no new date for the Games, but Goa has said that it needs just four months notice to host the Games, as the infrastructure is ready or almost ready. If the ISL is organised smoothly, can Goa look at hosting the National Games? By that time many of the restrictions would probably have been lifted, and there could even be a few spectators allowed in the stadium.
The ISL and then the National Games could well be the sporting events that repose confidence in tourists that Goa is a safe destination. But for that, Goa has to get its act together to ensure that the ISL goes through without any snag.
