Grossman adds TV finesse to India’s new American football league

Rebecca Hawkes | 25-03-2012

Seasoned American football broadcaster Sandy Grossman is to produce and direct coverage of the Elite Football League of India (EFLI) when it starts competing in November 2012.

Grossman, the recipient of eight Emmys and an Actors Guild award, will also train the broadcast crew in India so "they will be able to create shows that generate viewership interest," according to Indian Express.

The EFLI is to be broadcast in India by Taj Television-owned sports channel Ten Sports, with the inaugural season's 56 matches starting on 12 November. The league will have 11 teams from India and one from Sri Lanka, including Bangalore Warhawks, Bangladesh Tigers, Chennai Swarm, Colombo Lions, Delhi Defenders, Hyderabad Skykings, Kolkata Vipers, Mumbai Gladiators, Pune Marathas, and Punjab Warriors. Two teams are as yet unnamed.

The two-hour long EFLI TV shows will be broadcast in five Indian languages, to reach out to the audiences outside the country's major metros, according to Grossman.

He intends to train the crew to make them "self sufficient", teaching various camera angles, player close ups and technical details to ensure an interesting and "fun" show.

Grossman worked with the National Football League (NFL) before moving to Fox Sports, spending 17 years as a television director of the network. He has directed a total of 10 Super Bowl Championships - the only director to have clocked up so many. He also worked on the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star and NBA Finals Series for CBS over an 18 year period.

Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, American actor and producer Mark Wahlberg, former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka, and ESPN NFL analyst Ron Jaworski are also investors in India's new league.