The Asian Premier Futsal Championship is an Indian franchise-based futsal league conceptualised by Indian entrepreneurs under the entity of Pvt. Ltd. It was founded by Abhinandan Balasubramanian, Dinesh Raj and Nithyashree Subban, backed by business magnate Xavier Britto and his wife, philanthropist Vimala Britto.
| Organising body | Futsal Association of India |
|---|---|
| Founded | 5 April 2016 |
| Country | India (originally) |
| Number of teams | 16 (proposed) |
| Current champions | Mumbai Warriors |
| TV partners | Sony SIX Sony ESPN Sony Aath |
Format
Each playing team consists of three international futsal players, one international marquee football player and one Indian futsal player. Every squad is allowed a maximum of twelve players.[citation needed]
Premier Futsal conducted a talent hunt programme across eight cities called Launchpad to scout and select Indian players. The programme combed through 2500 participants per city to shortlist five regional players for each team.[1] Mumbai 5's won the inaugural Premier Futsal by defeating Kochi 5's in the penalty shootout.[citation needed]
Management team
- Xavier Britto - Chairman & investor of Premier Futsal, founder & chairman of Estell group of hotels & Kerry Indev Logistics[2] & Indev Logistics[3]
- Dinesh Raj - Managing director of Premier Futsal, Guinness World Record holder for creating the India's largest human national flag
- Abhinandan Balasubramanian - CEO of Premier Futsal, founder of AltFlo & ChefHost[4]
- Nithyashree Subban - Director of Finance & Strategy, Premier Futsal
- Vimala Britto - Director of Premier Futsal, Correspondent - Britto Group of Colleges, founder & chairperson - Seek Foundation, a non-profit organization
Brand ambassadors
Indian cricket team batsman Virat Kohli has joined the Premier Futsal as its brand ambassador.[5]
Premier Futsal attracted a lot of fans when they signed one of the best futsal players in the world, Alessandro Rosa Vieira, popularly known as Falcão.[6]
On 12 May 2016, Virat Kohli along with Falcão facilitated the launch of the nationwide talent hunt to select 40 players who will represent their respective cities in the first season of Premier Futsal.[7]
Anthem
The Premier Futsal anthem Naam Hai Futsal had its tunes set by two-time Academy Award winner A. R. Rahman with vocals also provided by Karthik, Lady Kash and Virat Kohli.
Previous teams
| Team | City | Owner | Marquee | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kolkata 5's | Kolkata, West Bengal | Grassroot Entertainment Pvt. Ltd |  Hernán Crespo | Christian Roldan |
| Chennai Singhams | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | The Hindu |  Falcão | Falcão |
| Bengaluru Royals | Bengaluru, Karnataka | Puneeth Rajkumar[8] |  Paul Scholes | Juan Jose Bernal Cierre |
| Telugu Tigers | Hyderabad, Telangana | Rana Daggubati Esa Mohammed and Jonaid Bin Tajuddin Al Mohammed |  Deco | |
| Kerala Cobras | Kochi, Kerala | ES Entertainment |  Míchel Salgado | Sergio Sapo |
| Mumbai Warriors | Mumbai, Maharashtra | DC Design |  Ryan Giggs | Ney Pereira |
| Delhi Dragons | New Delhi | Ronaldinho | ||
| Goa's | Goa | Cafu |
Results
By season
| Season | Date | Winner | Score | Runners–up | Venue | Player of the tournament | Semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 24 July | Mumbai | 1(3)–1(2) | Kerala | Peddem Sports Complex, Mapusa, Goa | Chaguinha | Kolkata Goa |
| 2017 | 1 October | Mumbai | 3–2 | Delhi | Al Wasl Indoor Stadium, Dubai | Ronaldinho | Telugu Tigers Bengaluru Royals |
Telecast
Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt. Ltd. acquired exclusive rights to broadcast Premier Futsal. As part of the agreement, all Premier Futsal matches will be televised live on Sony SIX, Sony ESPN and Sony Aath. Matches will also be available to live stream on Sony LIV.[9]
In Indonesia, all Premier Futsal matches also broadcast live on nonton.com (2016 only)[10] and Super Soccer TV (from 2017).[11]