Follow pitch-side reporter Leeza Mangaldas as she takes you behind the scenes this Hero ISL season. New posts every Monday exclusively on indiansuperleague.com.

Match Week 4: The Unsung Heroes of the ISL

When people hear I’m a pitch-side reporter, most think that I watch the matches from the stands. In theory I could, but in fact, most of us involved with the TV side of things watch the match from the PCR - the production control room.

Let me take you inside the PCR

It’s the designated space under the stadium for all the equipment and crew needed for the live broadcast of the match. It’s our little home at all the matches, and, since the crew members are almost all male, it’s a breeding ground for some of the most adorable bromances in the business. 👬♥️

Outside the PCR, there’s a big satellite truck, and as you enter you’ll see these huge black boxes for all the cables and camera equipment that the stadium has been rigged with in order to bring the match to your homes all across the country and the world, right as it happens.

Cables are everything

Inside the PCR, the match director is seated at a complex machine called the vision mixer, switching between multiple camera feeds to ensure that folks watching on TV and other digital platforms get the most compelling views of the action at all times. He is a scientist and story teller - excelling at this role involves both intense technical precision, and a lot of creativity.👌🏻⚽️

The vision mixer up close

The director on my matches this week in Chennai and Goa was Dhruv, among the youngest yet most skilful directors in the country, and a real team player. He’s the sort of guy who is the first to volunteer to jump in the very back of the car if there’s a space crunch - always willing to put the needs of others above his own. And when he’s not directing or watching sport, you’ll find him working out - I often bump into him at the gym before breakfast and his routine gives me some serious fitness goals. 💪🏽💯

Match director Dhruv at work in Chennai

But since the director is cooped up behind the controls indoors, his eyes and ears out on the pitch are the floor manager’s. They have to run around the whole time, communicating key events like team arrivals or substitutions to the director and the producer via talkback. They’re also like guardian angels to us pitch-side reporters, assembling players and fans for our interviews and the post-match presentation ceremony, and always ensuring we have all the resources we need. 👀👂😇

My floor managers this week were Akash and Akanksha and they helped set up some really cool stories with the fans in Chennai, Goa, and Mumbai, including the traveling Manjappada fans who came to support their team at Fatorda all the way from Kochi.💙💛

Floor manager Akash assembling all the visiting Kerala fans at the stadium in Goa.

The passion of the fans across the country has been really incredible this season - I’m honestly just blown away by their exuberance and commitment every time I interact with them.

The Super Machans fans loud and proud in Chennai.

Akash was the first friend I made on tour when I started working on the ISL almost three years ago. His nickname is Chotu even though he’s well over six feet, and he’s as soft spoken and gentle as he is tall. There’s a soulful artist lingering behind his tough exterior - he loves music and photography and writes beautiful poetry in his free time. 🎼

He and Dhruv have known each other for years and years, and theirs is one of the cutest bromances I’ve ever seen. 👌🏻

Akash, Dhruv, cameraman Shiva and I in Chennai.

Several of the cameramen have become my friends, and they always have my back.

It’s often either the soft spoken and resilient Maya or the always cheerful Shiva who are in charge of capturing my reporter segments - and they make sure they first check if my outfit, hair, or makeup need any adjustments before I begin my shots.

Since I’m usually the only woman around, I have no choice but to rely on the guys to help me with the girly stuff, and guess what, they do a very good job of it. 💄

Cameraman Maya shooting my pre-match interview with Nemanja Lekic-Pesic.

Then there’s the audio room, where a senior engineer does for sound what the director does for visuals.

Out on the pitch, the delightful Arsu from the audio team sets me up with my microphone and ear piece, making sure all the levels are right. 🎤

And when we have a bit of free time before the pre-match interviews, he’s either making me laugh with his banter or helping me take quirky behind-the-scenes photos!

Arsu and I reviewing #bts photos on my phone.

At the Marina Arena this week, Arsu helped me capture some really fun moments pitch-side with Robin, Jeje, and Prabir. 😎

Clowning around with Prabir, Jeje, and Robin!

What a thrilling second half we witnessed in Chennai! The goals just kept coming with Jeje scoring the first one for Chennai, only to see ATK’s Zequinha equalising shortly after. Calderon slotted in another for Chennai only to see Kuqi make it 2-2. But it was to be Chennai’s night with Jeje scoring a dramatic last-gasp winner - he certainly found his scoring boots in style that night. 👟🌟

Jeje with his trademark celebration!

Back in the PCR, all those back-to-back goals sure kept the EVS team busy. EVS equipment enables the editing, exchange, and playout of video feeds, and are central to live sport TV production. So they’re in charge of vital stuff like compiling replays and putting together packages about key moments in the match. 🤓

EVS coordinator Tanmay and ENG cameraman Vinayak at work.

And they had no respite at our next match in Goa either, where we saw a seven-goal thriller for the second time at the Fatorda Fortress this year. Coro and Lanzarote have Goa looking absolutely lethal right now, banging goals in just for fun. 🥅 🔥 ⚽️

Ferran Corominas leads the goals leaderboard after Game Week 4.

The EVS coordinators at my matches this week were Tanmay in Chennai and Goa, and Akshat in Mumbai. Tanmay is a fellow animal lover and back in Delhi, he and his wife foster abandoned and injured dogs. Every season I so enjoy getting up to speed with stories about his fluffy canine friends. Akshat on the other hand is one of the most stylish dudes I know, with the coolest gadgets and music. You know there will be an after-party when he’s around! 😎

Absolutely central to the operations of the PCR are the production managers; they’re kind of like magicians, deftly managing the needs of all crew members - whether it’s an airport transfer, a clip board, or a dietary requirement, the production manager and their assistant make sure every member of the crew is happy, fully equipped, and exactly where they need to be. 🤙

Managing production at the matches I was assigned this week were the lovely duo of Jimmy and his assistant Aahan, in both Chennai and Goa. The production managers on the other crews, Dominic and Bernie, are likewise total rockstars. 🌟

With production manager Jimmy and his assistant Aahan.

With big smiles and even bigger hearts, the production managers and their assistants make the PCR a cosy, happy place. They are also the reason I have never missed a flight on this whirlwind tour, emailing us our call times and flight tickets on a daily basis. And from green tea and yummy cookies to hand sanitizer and band-aids - if you need something, they have it! ☕️🍪☂️

Cameraman Kumar, floor manager Akanksha, production manager Dominic, and EVS coordinator Akshat in Mumbai.

Finally, there are our content producers—Arjun, Allan, and Sambuddha - who shoot features even before we reporters arrive, coordinate with the teams’ media managers to line up the appropriate player interviews on match day, and always ensure our questions are sharp, and our stats, accurate.

As the saying goes, it takes an orchestra to play a symphony. So many different people have to perform so many different tasks to bring live sport from the pitch into your homes. 📺 🏠

One of our three ISL Broadcast crews managed a group photo in Mumbai.

It’s impossible to name each and every member of the broadcast team working across the three different crews on the ISL in the limited space I have here, but I hope I’ve been able to share a little window into the dynamics of the PCR and what it’s like being on tour with this terrific team. See you right back here next week for another glimpse behind the scenes! 😘