One of the most talked about international players in the first edition of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL), Iain Hume has shifted base from Kerala Blasters to Atlético de Kolkata for the 2015 season. While playing with the club from Kerala, Hume was a key presence making 16 appearances, scoring 5 goals and providing 3 assists. In Part 2 of this exclusive interview with indiansuperleague.com, the Canadian international talks about his experiences in the first season.Hume was impressed with the ISL’s first season in 2014. “The first ISL season was a major success in my opinion. The organisation and media coverage made it accessible to everybody around the world, and the fans were unbelievable from start to finish,” he gushed.When asked about the crop of Indian footballers he played with and against during his time with Kerala Blasters, Hume maintained they were a talented bunch. “I think the Indian players are very underrated by the outside football world in my opinion. Technically and physically, there isn’t much gap, if any. I just think the football upbringing and coaching at the youth levels haven’t been at the same levels as some other countries. [But] the ISL has really helped them to progress quite quickly.”“At Kerala Blasters last season, players like Sandesh Jhingan and Gurwinder Singh will tell you themselves, how playing alongside Cedric Hengbart and Colin Falvey helped them. And I’m sure Arnab [Mondal] at Atlético de Kolkata will tell you the same about playing with Josemi. And I’d imagine it will be the same comments from a lot of the Indian players around the ISL teams. I’m not at all saying the foreigners are better players, but that their experiences around different leagues and more in-depth footballing upbringing are a massive help for them. If things progress with the ISL and the grassroots programmes that are being set up across the country keep flourishing, then the future of Indian football could be very bright for years to come.”When a player moves from one club to another, there is always the question of how he would be received by the fans of his former club. Speaking on that, Hume said, “To be honest, their reception for me this season is completely their decision. They will know my feelings towards them – after their unbelievable support for not just me personally, but the team as a whole last season. It was second to none.”Hume obviously has some really fond memories from his time at Kerala. “There will be quite a few things that I’ll miss about Kerala. I made some very good friends in and outside the team and I will never forget them. But the main thing will be the fans and the stadium. Playing in front of them in Kochi was an unbelievable experience,” he said as he signed off.You can catch Iain Hume in action this season representing Atlético de Kolkata. The first champions will take the field in the season opener against Chennaiyin FC on October 3rd in the latter’s backyard.
