It can hardly be called the hub of Indian football, but three clubs from Mumbai will figure in the second season of the I-league beginning on September 28.

But if that figure suggests that football in the city is on the rise, think again.

The three clubs in the fray — Durand Cup champions Mahindra United, newly-promoted Mumbai FC and Air-India — continue to struggle for a proper home ground. The All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) approval to the Cooperage as the venue for home I-league matches for yet another season means a series of afternoon games, in unforgiving heat and humidity, in front of a smattering of spectators.

“Playing at 3.30 in the afternoon is like killing yourself. Players can never be at their peak prowess under such conditions,” says homegrown striker Abhishek Yadav, who will be representing Mumbai FC this season.

Yadav believes that a player’s game goes up by at least 30 per cent when playing on a ground which is in good shape and, more importantly, a ground which he can call home.

Mahindra’s coach Derrick Pereira believes it is high time Mumbai got a decent stadium. “We are not asking for something as grand as the Wankhede or even DY Patil for that matter. We need a small facility with floodlights which can at least seat around 10,000 spectators,” he says. Pereira adds that the teams lack any kind of home advantage when playing at Cooperage with regards to crowd and ground conditions.

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