Observing that Indian players have the talent and the passion for football, Kerala Balsters' goalkeeper and marquee signing David James is confident that the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) will help Indian footballers grow in the near future.
"ISL is the beginning of something that can become very useful for football in India and could be the catalyst to develop young Indian players for the future, who can make India proud and in a few years' time help India's national team make its name in the international arena", James told IBNLive Sports.
World Cup winners Alessandro Del Piero, Marco Materazzi, David Trezeguet and Robert Pires are among other high-profile names playing in the league, aimed at improving the popularity of football in India.
But rejecting the belief that the onus was on marquee players to make the ISL successful, James insisted that spectators would love to see the tournament throwing up young Indian players who can be the stars of the future.
"The ISL has to be a league of Indian players. The most important thing is that young Indian players shine. Every year you can't expect foreign stars to come and make the tournament a success. Main aim for ISL should be to ensure that football fascilities and coaching gets better in India so that the country can see young Indians becoming idols and household name."
The former Liverpool and England goalie also feels that the inaugural ISL will be a success, and he is very excited to be part of it. "It's a new experience and I'm looking forward to working with young Indian footballers."
Being a marquee signing, he expects a lot from his team-mates and hopes to win the trophy for the Blasters in the first season itself. "If we can keep our pre-season form going into the tournament, then it's possible to lift the trophy on December 20", a confident James added.
The 10-week-long tournament starts October 12, with the Blasters playing their opener the following day in an away game against Northeast United FC in Guwahati.
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