Mumbai, Sept. 6 -- Since the Durand Cup ended on August 23, India's premier football clubs have been in an off-season mode, unsure how long that period would last. As the club owners grappled with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for control of the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) to bring certainty to the competition, the starting date for the league remained uncertain. That wait ended on Saturday after the date for the commencement of the new season was finally announced - October 10. "We just finished the Durand Cup, and had some days off. Now we're starting to focus on the first game," Juan Pedro Benali, head coach of NorthEast United FC, told HT. "We hope we can play some friendly games since it would give us some rhythm for the competition." The ISL last season was disrupted due to the administrative turmoil in AIFF over the non-renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with then commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL). With the team owners having taken over the league organisation, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. "From this year you will see a lot of changes in Indian football, in ISL," NEUFC owner John Abraham told the media, on the sidelines of an event to announce the club's partnership with Reebok. Also present was Aryaman Vikram Birla, director of Aditya Birla Group. "The owners of the football clubs have taken over the league. You will see a paradigm shift in football from this year. I'm hoping, as one of the owners," he added. After winning back-to-back titles in the Durand Cup last year, the team lost on penalties in the semi-final this term. "We are mentally stronger now," the coach said. "The (opening) game is on October 10, and it's important to start as best as we can. Now on, we have five weeks to think only about that."...