BCCI MODEL
   Date :05-Oct-2020

BCCI _1  H x W:
 
 
IT IS time for managers of other sports in India to learn from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) how to expand the influence of the game through a well-oiled mechanism of tournaments involving larger pools of talent not just even by involving other countries’ sports bodies in joint tournaments. The manner in which the BCCI has organised various age-group tournaments, ‘A’ team tours of foreign lands, and then the crowning glory of all, the Indian Premier League, shows the way to other national sports bodies to expand the circles of influence so that more and greater talent can be tapped at all levels in vastly expanded territories across national boundaries.
 
Of course, quite a few national sports bodies have tried to copy the BCCI model by organising tournaments across wide spectrums of playing community. But it must be admitted that those efforts are yet to attain the finesse of the BCCI’s method and manner and also the capacity to invest resources to make things work well. However, those constraints should not be the big limiting factors. For, when a national sports body begins well though on a smaller scale, it sows the seeds of the future success. In fact, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports must take the lead in enthusing all national sports bodies to follow the BCCI model that will help in the spread of respective disciplines and also inject adequate resources -- financial and management -- into the organisation. If this activity gains a greater momentum, the Government may think of allocating bigger funds for the activity across the board.
 
Of course, the BCCI did not arrive at this well-organised model in a day. It took years to envision the idea and then work up the details. Even the IPL, the BCCI’s mega world show, took a decade to attain its current sophistication and depth. For, when the IPL was launched, it appeared to many like something akin to a carnival where the game had a lesser and the glitter greater credit. Over time, everybody realised that despite the initial glitches, the IPL continued to give primacy to the game -- which is visible now in the IPL matches. Yes, there may still be some lapses here and there, but the overall stress on good cricket continues to dwarf the glitter and glamour.
 
The current IPL with empty stands, actually, has added the best glory and focus to cricket than to anything else. That is the reason why we suggest that other national sports bodies learn their lessons from the BCCI and start organising their tournament structures in a similar manner. They may emerge with a better model all right, but they must make a sensible beginning to move into the action mode. They must realise the strength of the BCCI model that has thrown up such a massive talent pool across a vast cricketing landscape. We may love to suggest that Hockey India (HI) gives a deeper thought to such an effort. Hockey is India’s official national game and organising its tournament structure more creatively will add to its glory. HI has been doing a fairly good job by organise its tournaments thoughtfully. It may do well to add a special thrust to the effort so that in due course of time hockey, too, regains its shine that had held the world in a thrall for decades on end -- bringing not just Golds but genuine glory of talent.