Television commentator John Helm, from Baildon, is hitting the headlines - in India!

The veteran broadcaster, who will be the official football man for FIFA's

coverage of the World Cup in Germany next year, is busy jetting between England and Asia promoting the Indian Premier League (the Federation Cup).

Cricket is the national sport in India, followed by hockey, but football is now making big in-roads - with Helm at the helm.

This week he flew out to Calcutta - his 175th flight in 12 months - to prepare for a series of Federation Cup games.

Helm has signed a contract with Zee Television, who have acquired the rights to cover soccer in India for the next ten years. The brief is to

glamorise the sport there.

"It's my third trip to India in two months," said Helm. "I am covering the start of their season for Zee Sports. I am doing nine matches over there.

"I don't mean to sound grand but I am the number one commentator in India on football now. It's amazing.

"It's very difficult to do the research in a country like India. I have built it up from the two previous visits so I am not going quite into the unknown this time.

"The first match I did when I went over there for the first time was in November and when the two teams ran out I didn't know a single player.

"But they are training up a young commentator who is very kind and who has sent me a forest of

information of past results and things like that.

"There are no tapes to watch because they have not had live football on TV over there before. Cricket is the

passion. But they are getting over a million viewers per match, which is good."

And such is the interest in football, Helm himself is big news.

"It is embarrassing because I am treated like a celebrity over there - I have TV crews following me about. I am in the papers every day. I am not used to that.

"I am doing two games a week but at one stage I was doing two a day! I have done 26 matches already since November. The next match is in Calcutta in the Salt Lake City Stadium which has a capacity of over 100,000.

"The one in Goa is where the England cricketers will play. The facilities are excellent. They fly in a director from Malaysia or Singapore for the games and it is 15-camera coverage. And I am working with Russell Osman, the

former Ipswich Town player.

"We are very well treated. They look after us brilliantly - really nice

people.

"I have also worked with the former captain and goalkeeper of India as a co-commentator."

There is a big push by Zee Television to promote soccer in India but, at

present, there are no Wayne Rooneys or Michael Owens on the horizon.

"I would put their standard at League Two to Conference level," said Helm, a vice-president of Bradford Park Avenue. "But they have very good individuals. The captain of India is Venkatesh, who would definitely get into a Championship team."

But Helm won't be moving over to India full-time. "I have to jet back for the Champions' League," he says.

"They are fascinated with the Champions' League. They can't believe a commentator who, say does Real Madrid v Juventus, is willing to go over and cover Indian football as well. I just say to them that a game of football is a game of football to me."

While the rest of us are scrambling for World Cup tickets for Germany, Helm, who has commentated on 2,000 matches in a career spanning 25 years, will have a bird's eye view of the best games. He has been chosen as FIFA's official commentator. "I have already got my World Cup schedule. I go on June 2 to do the trial runs - the trial matches are in Munich when they test all the facilities. Then I start off with the opening game - Germany against Costa Rica - and go right through and do the final.

"I will be broadcasting to 170

countries in what is called the world feed. Every country that takes the World Cup that doesn't have its own commentator - the whole of the Far East, Middle East, Caribbean, for instance - take my commentary."