Football clubs in India have been attempting to meet a set of criteria in order to take part in official tournaments since 2013. The procedure, which is known as club licensing, has now become a more familiar term for clubs but it is still an underrated undertaking by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Club licensing is not merely a checklist wherein all boxes have to be ticked for clubs to exist. In its core, it is a detailed set of best-practice recommendations which were initially optional but now mandatory.