ISL has already planned to start a Developmental League from this season for the reserve sides of the clubs. Developmental Leagues are very common in the top leagues around the globe but this will be the first Developmental League happening in India.
As already reported in our previous article, several ISL teams have agreed to take part in the inaugural developmental league of ISL. 7 ISL clubs along with RFYC will field their reserve teams in the league.
The inaugural ISL Developmental League will be hosted in Goa across 2 stadiums. 3 training grounds have also been prepared for the teams to practice. The tournament will start from 15th April and will continue till 20th May 2022.
ISL Developmental League teams:
- Bengaluru FC
- Chennaiyin FC
- FC Goa
- Jamshedpur FC
- Kerala Blasters FC
- Mumbai City FC
- Hyderabad FC
- Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC)
As of now, the remaining 4 ISL clubs: ATK Mohun Bagan FC, SC East Bengal, North East United FC, and Odisha FC have not yet confirmed their participation in the inaugural developmental league.
ISL made it mandatory for all clubs to sign at least 4 developmental players (born after 1st January 2001). They also have to name two development players in the matchday squad.
Players eligible to play in the ISL Developmental League
Players who are born on or after 1st January 2001 are eligible to play in the ISL Developmental League. However, the team squad can have up to 5 players born on or after the 1st of January 1999 and with a maximum of 3s uch players in the playing XI at a given time. A team can have a squad size of 18 to 24 players.
ISL Developmental League format
According to a report by IFTWC, the tournament will be played in a Round-Robin format with each team playing 8 games. Each team will get a minimum of 2 days of rest after every match. There will also be a rest period of 4 days after crossing halfway through the league. The top two teams will qualify for the next phase of the tournament.
The reserve players and the developmental players will now get enough game time to showcase their talents and skills in the ISL Developmental League starting from 15th April.
Read: ISL Developmental League: Official fixtures have been announced starting from 15th April
