“Drone Soccer comes as a fresh e-sport for the players” - Alok Sharma, Chairman of Drone Soccer Association India
Drone Soccer has officially made its debut in India. The sport is a combination of aerial robotics and soccer. It promises to revolutionize the landscape of recreational and professional gaming.
Designed by leading technologists and sports enthusiasts, the game is expected to impact the Indian sports market greatly. The game is a perfect mix of agility, strategy, and excitement. The aim will be to engage in thrilling aerial manoeuvres while looking to score goals.
Drone Soccer has been launched to engage seasoned gamers and newcomers, with the target audience ranging between six to 75 years. The Federation of International Drone Soccer Associations (FIDA) aims to take the sport to a huge level.
20 member countries are registered under FIDA and the governing body is planning to host the Drone Soccer World Cup in 2025 in Korea in an exclusive stadium built just for Drone Soccer.
Meanwhile, the Drone Soccer Association India (DSAI) has received the exclusive rights to govern and organize drone soccer activities in the country. They have the authority to organize national and international level tournaments and leagues.
The federation will also have the responsibility of selecting and sending the Indian Drone Soccer team for the upcoming World Cup in Korea next year.
Sportskeeda caught up with Mr. Alok Sharma, Chairman of Drone Soccer Association India (DSAI). He spoke about the response from the country, plans for the Drone Soccer World Cup, and much more in an exclusive interview.
Here are the excerpts from the interview:
How do you feel India will respond to this sport, considering its high pace and high intensity?
Alok Sharma: In an era of rapidly growing e-gamers with strong reflexes, Drone Soccer comes as a fresh e-sport for the players to test their remote piloting skills and reflexes in a real-life setting, away from screens.
We are introducing two versions of the sport. For Beginners and early Adopters, we have our smaller D-soccer Ball, which shall be introduced to students from early years to middle school, wherein they will be taught to build, code, and fly their own D-soccer ball.
Our Pro Version is targeting an upgrade program for such students as well as more experienced drone fliers in the country. The training and matches for the Pro Version are conducted using the FIDA-recognized Official Drone Soccer Ball and require sharp drone manoeuvring and piloting skills during the Drone Soccer matches.
What will be India's aspirations for the Drone Soccer World Cup 2025?
Alok Sharma: Over the next 18 months, Drone Soccer Association India (DSAI) along with Drone Destination (DD) shall be setting up Drone Soccer Arenas and Academies across the country to proliferate adoption of the sport.
DSAI and DD shall be training, identifying, and nurturing budding drone soccer players through various Leagues & Championships to be organized by DSAI at School, College, Club, and Corporate levels.
DSAI shall be hosting the first Indian Drone Soccer League in Nov 2024. DSAI aims to send India’s best two teams (10 Players + 02 reserve players) for the upcoming World Cup in Korea in 2025.
How can this sport be promoted further to make people more informed about this sport?
Alok Sharma: While we are laying the foundation for Drone Soccer in the country, Drone Destination and DSAI are looking at onboarding sports celebs/Influencers as brand ambassadors to the sport for building initial awareness and promotion of the sport.
Simultaneously, Drone Soccer Association India is rolling out Membership Invitations to interested stakeholders and is open to strategic alliances to proliferate the adoption of Drone Soccer in the country.