User:ArsenalFan700/Indian football system

AIFF Cup

 * Process:
 * Preliminary round 1 will feature the top 6 teams from each state league + the 8 best 7th placed teams.
 * Preliminary round 2 will see the entering of Indian League One teams into the AIFF Cup.
 * Round of 32 will see the Indian Super League teams enter the AIFF.
 * In Preliminary round 2, the bottom six teams from the previous League One season will play each other while the top 4 will play against Regional League opposition (34+4=38).
 * In the Round of 32, the bottom four teams from the previous Indian Super League season will play each other, the fifth and sixth place side will take on League One opposition, while the top 4 can take on a regional league side.
 * This ensures the ISL teams get six extra games at most while League One teams get seven extra games at most.

League Cup

 * Process:
 * This would ensure the ISL teams get 8 extra games at most while League One sides also get 8 extra games and at least 4 per team.

Second round

 * The teams who scored the most goals go straight to the third round while the 2 teams that scored the least (or had to win through the most penalties) play each other.

Plan

 * Right now at the start of this new system, the Indian Super League is the first division while the Indian League One is the second division. There is no promotion/relegation between the two leagues but there are play-offs and to help with competition, spots which impact the AIFF Cup and League Cup places. Then you have the 10 select state leagues. Just like with the NPLs in Australia, the state leagues will be all under one umbrella with 8-12 teams between them. The goal will be to take these states, all of which have established football leagues, and reform these leagues to make them longer, give players more opportunities, and give them something greater to aim for. Promotion/relegation will be decided via the state federations.
 * At the end of each state season, the top four teams from each state will go into their own finals and the winner from each final will go into the Zonal finals. Stated above.

National football

 * This system would continue till the next phase around 2025 to 2030.
 * By this time, the ISL licenses should have expired while the League One licenses should have expired. Taking an example from the J1 League (Japan), the AIFF would start a new licensing criteria similar to the J.League 100 Year Plan club status. The plan will be that by around 2030, India has three divisions, the first two divisions each containing at least sixteen teams and League One also containing sixteen teams. The ISL would gain their new teams through expansion to areas where there is no new team, thus increasing the focus of football to new places.
 * Around this point, like with Japan and South Korea, the AIFF announce a brand new second division known as the Indian Challenge League. The plan with the ICL would be to eventually create promotion/relegation with the Indian Super League but in a way that can keep the relegated ISL teams financially stable and the promoted teams from ICL being from proper markets and easily able to adjust on and off the field to ISL. Once the ISL reaches 18 teams, the bottom six teams from ISL are relegated to the ICL while the top 4 ICL licensed teams from League One are promoted to the ICL.
 * This would make the ISL a 12 team league while ICL is 10 teams.
 * Promotion/relegation will be the bottom side from ISL being relegated and the top ICL team being promoted. The second from bottom ISL side would take on the second placed ICL side for promotion.
 * Entrance into ICL again will be based on a strict licensing criteria which makes sure that teams in ICL can not only compete in ICL but also be able to be promoted to ISL. This includes stadium size, market (whether it is in ISL or if an existing market can sustain a team). Basics of the licensing criteria would include the following:
 * All ICL teams would be from a market which is not already in the ISL or ICL. Exceptions can be made depending on the market (For example, Bengaluru FC is already in ISL but if another team from Karnataka comes about and passes criteria then they can enter the ICL).
 * All ICL teams must play in stadiums with at least 10,000 capacity.
 * All ICL teams must have a city/state based name.


 * For League One, there is promotion/relegation between the ICL and League One. However, League One would be losing 1-4 teams from ICL. Those teams would be replaced by teams from the regional leagues.
 * League One would be split into two zones of North and South.
 * League One would also include 12 U-23 teams of the ISL sides.

State leagues

 * As more ISL teams are added to the league, more states will enter the "AIFF State League Program". At this point, states such as Punjab, Manipur, Telangana, Jharkhand are added to the program.

League Cup

 * Process:
 * This would ensure the ISL teams get 8 extra games at most while ICL sides also get 8 extra games and at least 4 per team.

Plan

 * After the Indian Challenge League is established it is hoped that by 2040 to 2042 we will see 18 teams in ISL again while ICL will contain 18 teams as well, thus giving India 36 fully-professional clubs.
 * ICL sides will also feature U-23 sides in League One.
 * Another split occurs in the system:
 * The Indian Super League shall remain with 18 teams but the automatic relegation spots to the ICL go from 1 to 2 while the 16th place team and not the 17th go into a relegation playoff.
 * The bottom 8 ICL sides are relegated into a new ICL2 while ICL is rebranded as ICL1. 2-4 new teams will be promoted from League One or created/expanded into ICL2 to create a 10 team league.
 * U-23 sides would be allowed into the ICL2 if eligible but could never be promoted to ICL1.