Hutt Indoor Sports will host the Indoor Cricket World Cup 2014 at the Indoor Sports Stadium in Petone (Lower Hutt) from October 18 to 25, 2014.
Indoor Cricket, the game’s latest avatar is poised for growth in the Indian Market.
The World Indoor Cricket Federation (WICF), the global governing body for Indoor Cricket is excited by the opportunities in the world’s second most populous country.
The Indian Indoor Sports Foundation (IISF), the national governing body accredited by WICF to grow the game in India sees immense potential.
“While Indoor Cricket in India is not yet as popular as its outdoor alternative, it is certainly gaining traction” IISF Chairman Ajay Naik said.
Global matches
Since the affiliation of the IISF with the WICF in 2011, Indian Indoor Cricket teams have participated in international tournaments held in Johannesburg (Indoor Cricket Wold Cup, South Africa) in 2011; Bangalore (India) at a test series in March 2013 hosted by IISF; Tri-Nation Series in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Australia, Sri Lanka and India) in March 2013 and Masters World Cup for over 30’s in Johannesburg (South Africa), winner of a Plate for being a Finalist.
Since its inception in 2011, the IISF has overseen India’s participation in two Indoor Cricket World Cups. The Open edition of the tournament in 2011 marked a strong debut for India in Indoor Cricket. Two years later, in the Masters World Series, India managed to win a keenly contested Plate final against one of its Asian contemporaries, Singapore. The sport is maturing in India and we look forward to an even stronger performance in this year’s Opens World Cup to be held in Wellington, New Zealand.
IISF has started the set-up of a national structure by inviting players and officials from the different states to formalize the governance of the game locally. There are plans to hold regular National and International tournaments to generate interest in the game.
Growing interest
It is a well-known fact among cricket playing nations that Cricket is practically considered a religion and is played and viewed with great interest by people in India. The sport, played in any form, attracts hundreds of thousands of men, women and children representing a cross-section of the society.
However, as in any other sport, sponsorship is a must, in order to promote the game to the masses, and with the right kind of marketing strategies, indoor cricket would also be able to carve a place for itself along with the other forms of the game.
Ajay Naik is President, Indian Indoor Sports Foundation (IISF), accredited by the World Indoor Cricket Federation.
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About Indoor Cricket
Indoor Cricket is a relatively new concept in India and at present there is only one IISF affiliated arena. The Bangalore Tuskers, an arena of the Action Sports Franchise, started in Bangalore in 2010 and boasts of four indoor playing courts set to World Indoor Cricket Federation (WICF) standards.
WICF is the international governing body of Indoor Cricket. It is responsible for the organisation and promotion of various international Indoor Cricket events (such as the World Cup) as well as the development of the sport itself throughout the world. The Foundation offers three types of Membership, namely Full Member, Associate and Affiliate.
