CONTENTS

pg. 4
1. FOREWORD

pg. 6
2. THE TWO FUNDAMENTAL PILLARS OF
A SPORTING NATION

pg. 10
3. KEY DRIVERS FOR CREATING A SUSTAINABLE
ECOSYSTEM FOR A SPORTING NATION

pg. 27
4. APPROACH TO A SPORTING NATION - TOP DOWN OR
BOTTOM UP?

pg. 28
5. A COMPREHENSIVE ROADMAP FOR
A SPORTING NATION

pg. 31
6. VIABLE BUSINESS MODELS FOR ACCELERATING
SPORTS DRIVERS

pg. 35
7. CONCLUSION

pg. 36
APPENDIX

pg. 37
ABOUT SPORTZCONSULT
1. FOREWORD

Let’s play India, Olympic Medals will follow... A sea of well intended changes has been initiated by the
government, private sector as well as non-profit organizations.
There are more than 10 IPL style leagues running in the country
today. The government has set across a dedicated fund called
We strongly believe in TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) for supporting our
“Mass Participation” as a Olympic hopefuls. Multiple talent development initiatives
critical pillar in the making are running in the country, set up by the likes of NBA, PSG,
At SportzConsult, we strongly believe in “Mass Participation”
as a critical pillar in the making of a sporting nation. We were
founded with the mission of making 100 million play sports.
Only when the bottom of the pyramid is strong will we see the
top of the pyramid swell. We see validation of our philosophy
when sporting giants like NBA and Reliance Foundation invest
at grassroot level in order to grow the sport. Over the last few

of a sporting nation. FC Barcelona, Arsenal etc. Undoubtedly, all of these have years, we are proud and happy to have provided opportunities
helped in increasing the size of the Indian sports market and to play to more than 3 million Indians. Through this paper,
attracting attention from corporate and the world at large. we are happy to present our learnings of the last 14 years for
Today, sports sponsorship market in Indian touches INR 6,400 bringing in a sporting revolution.
Cr, up 164% from INR 2400 Cr back in 2008.
Hope you find it informative!
Yet, 8 years later at the Rio Olympics 2016, our medal tally
A country of a billion people and yet only 3 medals won at the 2008 Olympics. The statement went berserk in media. The Indian Jitendra Joshi
degraded to one less than what was achieved at Beijing in 2008.
sporting ecosystem was lamented beyond imagination. But if you think about it, ours is also a country of a few thousand “active” Co-Founder & Director - SportzConsult
Why? Let’s take a step back. In our obsession with getting gold,
population. Are we really making an apples-to-apples comparison when we compare our medal/ population with the rest of the world? +91 93236 35488
are we missing the focus of building a sporty nation before we
start counting medals? Should we be asking ourselves - how jitu@sportzconsult.in
many are actually playing? Do we have real sports fans?
IN A COUNTRY WITH

1.2 bil PEOPLE,

HOW MANY ARE REALLY

ACTIVE?

4 5
2. The Two Fundamental Pillars of a Sporting Nation 2. The Two Fundamental Pillars of a Sporting Nation.

Time and again, the question pops up why India is not a sporting nation. But have you ever wondered what does being a sporty
nation mean? Does Abhinav Bindra’s Gold medal at the Beijing Olympics make India a “Shooting Nation”? Does the launch of Participants and Fans are the two pillars on which the foundation
Indian Super League make India a “Footballing Nation”? For us, the answer is really simple. A sport is successful if there are lots
of a Sporting Nation is built. Why? It creates a sustainable cycle
of participants in the sport as well a lot of fans of the sport at all levels.
for sporting success.

PARTICIPANTS FANS
We need more and more people playing the sport – in Fans are the second pillar of a sporting nation. Their
schools, in neighbourhoods, in academies. Simply enjoying passion, idiosyncrasies, superstitions and rivalries create
it and playing for fun. Think of the obsession with cricket conversations and a culture around the sport. The match
and the many forms it takes. There is gully cricket. There fixtures and statistics are known by heart. Stadiums, jerseys,
is book cricket. There is French cricket. If there is no bat, history, anthems, etc. are sacred. The workplaces come to
the school notepad comes to rescue. If there is no ball, the a standstill not only when Mahendra Singh Dhoni lifts the
silver foil fills in. Lack of a ground does not deter the many World Cup Trophy, but also when a young unknown player is
enthusiastic participants; they take to Box Cricket. There are one run short of his triple hundred. When the whole nation
the professional rules and then there are the amateur rules. turns blue and crowds gather around a small shop to catch
The neighbouring aunty’s cribbing does not stop us. We just a glimpse of the score, you know that the sport is deeply
change the rule to convert a SIXER into an OUT. Many were ingrained in the culture.
infamous for breaking glass windows with their aerial shots,
but it is only out of those seemingly unruly youngsters that
role models like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and
Yuvraj Singh were born.

6 7
2. The Two Fundamental Pillars of a Sporting Nation. 2. The Two Fundamental Pillars of a Sporting Nation.
Participation in sports is critical at all levels and takes many
forms. It may mean simply enjoying a game with friends or
family in the house garden, streets or paid turfs. It entails
playing at a local sports academy to level up your skills or
joining a summer camp to learn a new sport or participating
in a local tournament. All of these elements together create a
mass participation culture in a sport.
Large participation numbers
ensure a continuous supply
of amateur talent which can
then be nurtured into elite
players and role models for
generations to come.
Look at Cricket. It is no less than a religion with 54%
of the Indian population playing the sport. There are
coaching academies and various competitions in every
nook and corner of the country nurturing talent from these
enthusiastic participants. It is no wonder that there are as
many as 5,438 elite players registered by State Associations
on the BCCI Registration System. They play as many as 892
matches across 261 playing days in one domestic season.
This large availability of talent ensures that there will always
be Virat Kohlis to take up Sachin Tendulkar’s place and never
8 9
leave a Role Model vacuum. Today, Virat Kohli has a Twitter
following of 10.7 million. To put this in perspective, this is
33 times more than the only Olympic Gold winner from India,
Abhinav Bindra and a 1000 times more than the current
darling of Indian sports, P V Sindhu.
A large number of fans make
the sport commercially viable
and are the reason why players,
coaches and all the supporting
stakeholders make money.
BCCI’s posts on social media had a combined reach of more
than 300 million in 2016. As per the Broadcast Audience
Research Council of India, total TV viewership of IPL 2016
calculated by impressions stood at 102 Crores. The scale
demands professionals such as umpires, statisticians,
scorers, video analysts, physiotherapists etc. thus opening up
various career options. A fan’s passion and wallet makes the
sports aspirational for youngsters and viable career option for
parents, thus creating a social currency around the sport that
further encourages participation at the grassroot level.
3. KEY DRIVErS FOR CREATING A SUSTAINABLE
ECOSYSTEM FOR A SPORTING NATION

TOP DOWN
Disposable
Performance Sports
Income
Products
Affinity

Viable
Role
Sports
Models
Products

Excellence
Centres FANS
Coaches PARTICIPANTS Courses
Competitions

Elite
Players

Career in
Sport LEGEND
Time for Sports
Pillars of a
Coaches
Place for Sports Sporting Nation
Nurture Social
Talent Currency Indicators of a
Competitions
Sporting Nation

BOTTOM UP Drivers of a
Sporting Nation

10 11
i. PARTICIPATION
Let’s ask ourselves – how many of us play sports on a regular basis i.e. atleast twice a week? From our experience, this number
is not huge. And it tends to drop as people grow older and the work-life balance starts to take a toll. The major barriers to
participation are lack of infrastructure, lack of free time, and lack of platforms to play.

As a matter of fact, kids intuitively enjoy sports. They love to move, catch, throw and kick. They don’t think of a job in sports. They
play to have fun. To promote greater participation, all that is required is a little support from parents and schools. This support
is mainly required in three forms -

PLACE FOR SPORTS

Provide people safe maidaans (grounds) to play sports. More the number of grounds available to them, more we will see kids
moving. Set up small sports infrastructure exciting kids to step out of homes and play common sports in the open area. We have
seen people gravitate around such facilities and it has a ripple effect on building a sports culture.

In Singapore, realising the lack of sports facilities for mass participation, several
initiatives were proposed for co-sharing of resources. Dual Use School Fields Scheme
(DUS) was launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Singapore
Sports Council to open school fields and halls for public use on weekends and Friday
evenings. As a result, sports participation in Singapore increased by 10% across all
age groups (38% in 2001 to 48% in 2005).

12 13
3. KEY DRIVERS FOR CREATING A SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEM FOR A SPORTING NATION 3. KEY DRIVERS FOR CREATING A SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEM FOR A SPORTING NATION

TIME FOR SPORTS

Setting aside time for sports will initiate more and more kids
towards sports. Schools are the best place to dedicate time More than “Marks for Sports”,
for introducing a new sport. Sadly, lack of playing time is an we should build in “Time for
ever growing concern among school going children. Kids
Sports.” The PE hour should
only have 1-2 PE periods i.e. 1-1.5 hours in the whole week
to spend on sports. As per the 7th Annual Health Survey by
be made a daily affair. It will
EduSports, schools which give more playtime produce fitter help to introduce sports to
kids. The results showed schools which gave more than 3 each kid and not just the
Physical education periods produced fitter kids and fared
better on all fitness parameters.
school team.
SCHOOLS WHICH GIVE MORE PLAYTIME PRODUCE FITTER KIDS!

LEGEND
While in-school programs are ideal for introduction to a sport, after-school play
is critical for skill development. South American superstars like Lionel Messi and 90% 3+ PE Periods
Neymar are said to have learnt their skills at home during unstructured play on the 79% Less than 3 PE Periods
80%
71% 69%
streets. When it comes to Football, kids in Brazil have played over 10,000 hours by 67% Sprint Capacity

% Healthy
70%
the age of 13 which pretty much means playing 4 hours a day for 10 months in a year 69%
60% 53% 64% Flexibility
63%
from the age of 3. It is no wonder then that in 2010, 67 Brazilians played in the world’s
50% 55% Lower Body Strength
premier championship, the Champions League, compared to only 25 Britains and 26
Upper Body Strength
Germans, even though not one Brazilian club participated. 40% 45%
Abdominal Strength
0%
Fitness Parameters

14 15
3. KEY DRIVERS FOR CREATING A SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEM FOR A SPORTING NATION
ADVOCACY
We need a behaviour change from “padhoge likhoge banoge
nawab, kheloge kudoge, hoge kharab” to “all work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy”. In order to get more kids to play, we
need to view it from beyond a career lens.
We need to look at sport as a way of spreading 3H i.e.
Happiness, promoting Health and fitness and simulating
Holistic Education. We need to make it a part of our lifestyle
and appreciate it for the many positive attributes it has. Those
who have spent time on court will always celebrate the joy of
playing together, the moments of fun, the lessons it taught
them. Waking up at 5:30 in the morning required no alarms
and no constant snoozes from moms when it was for a game
outside with friends. Time management was learnt early in
life so homework does not interfere with play time. As Brian
Lara puts it, “Children need sports, even if they are inclined
towards academics. Engaging in sports from a young age will
ensure physical and mental well-being. Sports will equip kids
with the necessary tools to face academic challenges, and
provide all-round development.”
16
We need to look at sport as a way of spreading 3H i.e.
Happiness, Health and fitness and Holistic Education.
Raahgiri is one excellent initiative that
brings forth the joy of playing together.
Raahgiri Day is a weekly event that closes
city streets to cars to celebrate walking,
biking, music-making, and various sporting
activities. The enthusiasm among people
of all age-groups and walks of life has
been infectious. The events and activities
on this weekly day out never seem to
lack participation. When the organizers
anticipated a couple of thousand to turn
up on the very first Sunday, 10,000 flocked
in. Since then, crowds of 20,000 to 25,000
have set aside their Sunday mornings for
a few hours of fitness and fun thronging
the Raahgiri roads.
17
ii. TALENT
Once we have large participation base, the next critical step
is to nurture talent from these enthusiastic participants.
Coaches and Competitions are the two key drivers for
producing talent.

The Western India Football Association

is churning out “Coach Entrepreneurs”
AMATEUR COACHES in large numbers. It provides adequate

“All kids need a little help, a little hope and somebody

training and licenses to aspiring

who believes in them.” - Magic Johnson (Basketball) coaches who then run profitable football

We need more PE teachers and coaches in schools. Without

academies and in turn increase the base

the presence of good quality coaches, the standard of the
game will never improve. For a sport to grow, there is a
strong need for both coaches at all levels – Enthusiast as
well as Elite. We need quality amateur coaches for various
sports in schools, clubs and academies. If the sport is able to
accentuate this need and supply quality grassroot coaches
via optimum trainings and certifications, we will see the
emergence of ENTREPRENEUR COACHES.
of amateur talent in the country. In 3 years,
Maharashtra moved from 65 licensed
to 2000 licensed coaches plus 1000
grassroot leaders. From this about 75% of
them are now employed in schools and/
or are running academies across various
districts in Maharashtra.

Push for Entrepreneur Coaches is a simple solution in

effectively grooming young talent while providing career
opportunities in sports at the same time.

18 19
3. KEY DRIVERS FOR CREATING A SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEM FOR
A SPORTING NATION
COMPETITIONS
In general, participation levels in India peak for very few months
during the tournament or sports day or similar platforms
while the rest of year, the participation levels are low. We need
to elongate the time our kids spend on participating in sports.
Competitions make playing fun. Competitions provide kids
a goal. Competitions inspire regular training. Round the
year amateur competitions provide that spark for kids to
participate in sports and improve their performance. We
need competitions that create good experiences for the kids.
Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS), modelled on the
uniform amateur college competition structure in the US –
National Collegiate Amateur Association (NCAA) aims to
structure the school and college competitions in India. The
pyramidal structure provides kids the motivation to keep
training and improving their performance throughout the
year. The program is spread over 6-9 months where more than
2400 school and college football teams participate in a three-
level competition structure starting with city level qualifier,
city finals and finally the national finals.
Year around competitions are required to inspire kids to
participate in sports on an ongoing basis.
20
The Deutsche Football Association (DFB) alarmed
by the unsatisfactory performance of the national
football team during the late 90’s and early 00’s,
introduced a Talent Development Programme
to revive talent. A critical component of this
program was to attract new amateur coaches and
maintain quality of coaching through variety of
ongoing training courses and content. It created
age-appropriate training methods e.g. varying
systems of play (4 on 4, 5 on 5), field size, goal size,
game type (e.g. exhibitions games, recreational
games, league) and provided various specialised
courses for different aspects of football training
e.g. goalkeeper course and sports admin course
with greater than 27K participants every year. It
also conducted daily visits at amateur clubs and
primary schools with 30 vehicles (‘DFB Mobile’)
to inspire youth coaches to undertake further
21
qualifications and training courses. More than
15,000 events were held since 2009, reaching
more than 750,000 people. Furthermore, a variety
of e-learning seminars were produced for both
coaches and club management volunteers online
to offer practical tips and content from DFB
coaches, finance and tax experts. The initiative
coupled with other support programs for talent
development reaped results within 10 years
when the Bundesliga managed to double its
share of young players; from 8% U-21 footballers
playing regularly in 2001 to 16% in 2014. The
German national team significantly improved its
performance at an international level (3rd in 2010
and World Champion in 2014 World Cups) and at
the same time fielded the youngest team in both
tournaments.
iii. ELITE PLAYERS
Excellence Centres
At the elite level, Excellence Centers are required to nurture
available talent into top quality players. Why else would 35 of
the world’s 100 best women golfers come from South Korea
– a nation with inhospitably cold climate and astronomical
green fees? It is because South Korean junior golfers spend
three times as much time as American juniors on playing
and learning golf. Similarly, in just a few years, Russia has
developed from a mediocre tennis nation into one that
iv. ROLE MODELS
Performance
occupies 25 per cent of the world women’s top 40 ranking list
because of the dedicated time spent on sports through the
year from a very early age.
All sports need aspirational platforms for the top players to
showcase their talent and shine. These are the platforms
We tend to think that genes which turn top players into role models for the generations
play a big role in sports talent to come. Undoubtedly, these are platforms with great legacy
development but the reality and a large following. For example, Olympics remain as the
ultimate test for most Olympic Sports. The Grand Slams are
is quite simple – playing and the platforms to make your mark in Tennis. Playing at the
practising more! National Basketball Association (NBA) is the dream for all
basketball enthusiasts.
Sports Products that showcase the athlete performances and
bring out their stories and struggles are the next big driver
for creating Role Models. Saina’s bronze medal at the London
Olympics inspired thousands of young women to take up

Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, PT Usha School of Athletics, Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis badminton.
Hosting of a mega sporting event, setting up of a domestic
Academies, Bhaichung Bhutia Soccer Schools are few of the many Excellence Centres working
professional league or popularising an international
to produce top talent in their respective sports. Reliance Foundation and DSK Shivajians have
tournament are some of the examples of Sports Products to
created full-fledged residential academies for grooming the best talent in the country from a
create role models that inspire the generations to come and
very young age. Both the sporting and educational needs of the kids are hence satisfied under create that elusive Fan required for the sport’s sustainability.
one roof leading to all-rounded development. Going forward, we expect to see the clubs of the
different leagues following suit in order to generate a continuous supply of talent to feed the
respective top league. The trend is already apparent if we look at the grassroot programs of
Bengaluru FC or Athletico de Kolkata.

22 23
v. FANS
Affinity
Fans connect by identifying, admiring and emulating the
athletes and teams. Even the most disinterested ones are
drawn to watch PV Sindhu when she is playing the Gold Medal
match at the Olympics. The critical element here is Affinity.
Patriotism is the most natural affinity and is evident in case
of support of National Teams or National Stars.
In case of new Clubs/ Franchises, it takes time to build affinity.
Leagues in India currently do not last for more than 2-3
months. There is not much content to consume throughout
the year. While commercial and calendar challenges remain,
we need to figure out a way to make more content available
through various channels. For example, Pro Kabaddi League
has already taken a first step by having two seasons in a year
instead of one.
This experience can be enhanced by using technology. Sports
provides a great social currency. The social aspect is big
reason why fans connect to sports. It creates bonds that
build friendships. The franchises should give content that will
increase the social experience. e.g. easy access to content
beyond the games such as inside stories, game strategies etc.
Build Innovative Membership plan like Community connect
Programs. Even in the off-season, connect with the schools
and be closer to the fans.
Research shows that commitment towards sports positively
influences media consumption (β = .54; p < .001). So, a sport
with high participation rate is automatically more likely to have
more fans. The fan following of the different ISL franchises
clearly illustrates this point. The places where it generates
highest audience are the place where the sport enjoys high
participation. E.g. Goa, Kerala and Kolkata. Even in the case
of Hockey, the franchises of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa
have seen more fans as the sport is popular in these pockets.
vi. CAREERS
Sports Courses
The success of sport opens up various career opportunities.
In a thriving sport, the number of professional athletes is not
restricted to just the National Team. A successfully running
domestic league or tournament absorbs many professional
athletes. It also requires support staff such as coaches,
umpires, managers, physiotherapists, video analysts, etc. The
ripple effect is great. And the industry will also open up career
opportunities in ancillary roles such as photojournalism,
sports marketing, event management etc.

Research shows that commitment towards sports positively

influences media consumption (β = .54; p < .001).

24 25
 4. Approach to A Sporting Nation – Top Down or Bottom Up?

We believe bottom up is the ideal approach for building a ability of major events and role models to inspire young people
sustainable ecosystem for a sporting nation. At the very start, to participate in sports. Top Down works in a PULL manner.
we need huge steps at the grassroot level. These broadly More fans also provide more commercialisation opportunity
include – Time for Sports, Place for Sports, Coaches and and hence more career opportunities, probably also leading
Competitions. If we have the base of Participation ready, we to more support from parents and schools.
would have successfully set up the groundwork for creating
However, this is where it stops since the cycle beyond this also
a culture of sports in the country. We have seen earlier that
needs a lot of PUSH. The ability of the Top Down approach to
research shows commitment towards sports positively
build a sustainable sporting ecosystem will be limited till a
influences media consumption. The sports that have the
critical mass of Participation is achieved.
Participation, Talent and Role Models with the right drivers
of Time for Sports, Place for Sports, Social Currency, Coaches
and Competitions at a certain scale can commercialise the
sport through a quality Sports Product in a sustainable way.

On the other hand, a Top Down approach focuses on building

fans. The assumption here is that watching quality top level
The sports that have the
competition and inspiring performances from best of the Participation, Talent and
athletes will inspire people to take up sports as participants. Role Models with the right
There is also research support to it. As per the research
drivers of Time for Sports,
conducted by EventImpacts, 67% of live spectators at the major
sporting events and 28% of the television viewers studied felt
Place for Sports, Social
inspired to participate or participate more frequently in sport Currency, Coaches and
as a result of their attendance at that event. Competitions at a certain
A quality sports product, be it a sporting league or a mega scale can commercialise the
event like the Olympic Games has an emotional appeal for
sport through a quality Sports
the fans. It provides Inspiration / Role models / Heroes / and
generates love for the sport. There is no doubt in the powerful
Product in a sustainable way.

26 27
5. A COMPREHENSIVE ROADMAP FOR A SPORTING NATION
The next question that comes to mind is HOW do we go about it?
How do we accelerate the drivers of sports development?
Below is the five-step approach that we believe is required to
stir up a Bottom-Up revolution
Introduce the sport to a large
number of kids in a fun manner
1
Create after-school platforms
for skill development
1
4 2
Create fun
competitions for
all age-groups
5. A COMPREHENSIVE ROADMAP FOR A SPORTING NATION
Step 1 : Introduce the sport to a large number of kids in a
fun manner
Create simple learning drills to initiate kids towards sports.
Ensure that sessions are fun and informal with a mix of fun
match play and relaxed coaching.
In order to reach out to such a large number of kids in an
institutional manner, “Schools” are an ideal partner. The
reasons are quite intuitive.
1. For the organizer, school is a convenient channel to easily
disseminate information to kids and parents at large.
2. The reach extends to the whole universe of kids instead of
Create a large
2 supply of quality only those already interested in the sport.
grass-root coaches 3. The trainers are easily available for running the program if
the right incentives are provided.
4. From the parents’ point of view, it removes the challenge of
managing logistics and ensuring kids’ safety.
3 competitions to keep their enthusiasm high. Innovate with
Step 2 : Create a large supply of quality grass-root coaches
Invest in developing grass-root coaches who are the core
drivers for sports skill development. Create age-appropriate
training methods e.g. varying systems of play (4 on 4, 5 on 5),
Scout and groom elite talent field size, goal size, game type (e.g. exhibitions games,
3
recreational games, league) and train young coaches on
5
the same. Establish structured coaching license system
for systematic development of grass-root coaching in large
volumes. Leverage digital channels to provide easy access to
learning material for one and all. Promote active participation
28
of regional associations to drive participation and success
rate of courses. Attract new coaches by promoting the
concept of “Coach Entrepreneurs” and providing a gateway to
career opportunities.
Step 3 : Create after-school platforms for skill development
Create avenues for kids to participate in sports during
after-school hours. Safe playgrounds, academies, sports
clubs, community centres, etc. are needed to keep the
children moving. Ensure all new housing societies and real
estate complexes have optimum level of available sporting
infrastructure.
Step 4 : Create fun competitions for all age-groups
Provide ample additional competitive playing opportunities to
kids. Ensure that the kids have a great experience at these
match formats, play rules, sporting equipment to provide
more playing opportunities and keep them engaged. Gratify
them appropriately to inspire them to keep playing.
Step 5 : Scout and groom elite talent
Establish excellence centres to train upcoming talent with the
best-in-class of coaching methods and training infrastructure.
Focus on their all-round development by providing them
quality academic education in parallel.
29

The Jr. NBA program provides one such
comprehensive approach for exponentially
growing the base of players at the grassroot level
and continuously providing them the right support
to move up the sports cycle. It is designed on the
Bottom Up principles of increasing support for
participation, developing coaches and providing
competitive platforms. It has worked in other
countries and now a similar program is being
done in India. Let’s see how.
1. Introduce the sport to a large number of kids in a fun
manner
• The Jr. NBA program is a 6-8 weeks program
with different modules teaching kids the basics of
basketball.
• It targeted to reach 3.5 million kids across 3555
schools in 17 cities.
• This is done by integrating the program within
the PE hour of the school. Hence, the program is
successful in breaking down the time barrier and
ensuring that all the school kids are exposed to
the sport.
2. Create a large supply of quality grass-root coaches 
• NBA conducts “Train-the-trainer” programs for
almost 3000 PE teachers.
* For additional successful examples from across the world, please refer to the Appendix.
30
6. Viable Business Models For Accelerating Sports Drivers
• The PE teachers are provided standardized Where should the investment come from for accelerating the drivers of success at each step? The good news is that there are
curriculum to teach and are trained on how to plenty of examples from across the globe that investment in sports need not be for passion alone. Moreover, the demand for
introduce the sport to the kids. amateur sporting platforms is on the rise with increasing inclination to spend on sports and fitness. We estimate that the total
• Age appropriate sessions are created. For amateur participative market (not including merchandise and equipment) stands at about INR 1200 crores in the top 8 cities in
example, 3rd and 4th standard kids are only taught India. There are clearly opportunities to create viable business models in amateur sports.
motor skills while 6th and 7th standard kids are
provided basic game skills.
The total amateur participative market in India is estimated
3. Create fun competitions for all age-groups
• NBA organizes competitions for various age
to be INR 1200 Cr.
groups in the form of Weekend Festivals.
• School teams from various age groups compete in
fun filled competitions supervised by international AMATEUR SPORTS MARKET IN TOP 8 CITIES, BY SPORT
NBA coaches. Source: SportzConsult Estimate 2017
• NBA also has a parallel ACG Jump tournament
for the elite players. It is a nationwide talent hunt
organized in 6 cities.
• The tournament culminates in a 3-day National
finals, where 40 of the most talented kids in India
are put through drills and match play competitions.
4. Scout and groom elite talent
• The top 24 boys are given full Scholarships to
NBA’s first Basketball Academy in India hence
nurturing elite talent who will one day become role
models for the rest.
31
6. Viable Business Models For Accelerating Sports Drivers
AMATEUR SPORTS MARKET IN TOP 8 CITIES, BY TYPE OF SPEND
Source: SportzConsult Estimate 2017
Various sports management companies are tackling the
issue of Place for Sports while running a successful business
by creating quality turfs for different sports. We estimate the
total spend on turf/ court booking for recreational sports in
top 8 Indian cities to be around INR 430 crores presently.
Players having put their buck in creating neighbourhood
sports infrastructure are certain to benefit in the long run.
Online venue aggregators like BookMySport, Athletto,
GoSporto are also modelled to exploit the increasing demand
for sports infrastructure. They are developed considering
a simple insight that majority of the neighbourhood sports
facilities are underutilised. These organisations work as online
32
aggregators of all the nearby sports facilities, simplifying the
ease of access. The platforms help in both the discovery as
well as booking of the sports facilities. It is a win-win for all
as 1) sports enthusiasts easily find a place to play, 2) facility
owners are able to monetise their assets better and 3) the
business makes money by charging a service fee. Isn’t that
simple and genius?
Similarly, few sports management companies are running
various programs to integrate sports into the physical
education in schools. The Jr. NBA program has introduced
basketball to 3.5 million kids across 3555 schools in 17 cities.
6. Viable Business Models For Accelerating Sports Drivers
Saksham, the self defense program of the Government of
Rajasthan is teaching self defense with various martial arts
techniques from sports such as Karate, Judo etc. to 1.5 lakh
girls in 650+ schools. The Reliance Foundation Youth Sports
(RFYS) has created a uniform, structured school and college
competition structure for 2400 teams from 1900 institutions
across India. Companies such as EduSports are running
structured age-appropriate PE curriculums in schools.
Even for the non glitzy area of Amateur Coaches, we have
seen exemplary work done by the Western India Football
Assocation. It is churning out “Coach Entrepreneurs” who
after receiving adequate training and licenses from WIFA are
Examples of existing business models around amateur sports
33
running profitable football academies and in turn increasing the
base of amateur talent in the country. In 3 years, Maharashtra
moved from 65 licensed to 2000 licensed coaches plus 1000
grassroot leaders. From this about 75% of them are now
employed in schools and/or are running academies across
various districts in Maharashtra.
We have even seen the concept of “Entrepreneur Coaches”
flourish for less popular sports such as Taekwando and
Karate. Many parents are willing to spend INR 1000 per month
and upwards to train their kids in these sports, providing a
livelihood to the licensed trainers and increasing the base of
participation in the sport.
 7. CONCLUSION

Growing a sport in a country is a multi-pronged challenge and
has no immediate solution. It is clear that it requires a long-
term vision and continuous investment in the initial years.
Several initiatives have been undertaken to help grow sports
in the country. But how do we know that the limited resources
are being spent well? How do we know that we are making
progress?
The Bottom-Up approach is the sustainable answer to sports
development. Bigger the base of Participants at the ground
level, higher the likelihood of creating Fans and building a
cyclical sporting ecosystem. Measuring participation in itself
can be a daunting challenge, made simple if we look at the
simple unit of a School Class. The fact that Cricket is way
ahead in the sports development curve can be established
by a simple guesstimate of how many kids in a class play
Cricket v/s other sports. If the penetration of a sport in a Class
increases over the years, we can safely establish that we are
on our way to a real movement.
span across 9-10 months in a year providing an ongoing
platform for engagement with the sport.
The sustainable answer to developing a sporting nation is
simply to promote mass participation in the sport. There are
five major drivers - Place for Sports, Time for Sports, Social
Currency, Coaches and Competitions to trigger a mass
participation movement. In contradiction to popular belief,
successful business models EXIST to accelerate these
drivers. There are innovative examples from India and abroad
of entrepreneurs and sports professionals working to create
value for sports while running a viable business. For brands,
especially those with school kids as their target audience,
push for sports development is a phenomenal opportunity to
reach their prized target audience while generating significant
goodwill for the brand.

From an elite talent development point of view, the two key

things that distinguish a developing sports market from a
developed sports market is the 1) Age for Sports Introduction
and the 2) Duration of Time spent on Sports. Kids in Brazil for
example, in general, are known to have spent 10,000 hours

If the penetration of a sport in a Class increases over the years, we playing with football even before they are started to groom

can safely establish that we are on our way to a real movement. for skill development. Amateur competitions in such markets

34 35
APPENDIX
References
▸ A look back at Singapore’s sports development in
the last 10 years
▸ BCCI Annual Report 2015-16
▸ Boss – How Chinese Football Can Develop
▸ DFB Talent Development Program
▸ EduSports – 7th Annual Health Survey
▸ Jr. NBA
▸ Raahgiri a success, but challenges remain
▸ Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS)
▸ The inspirational effect of major sporting events
36
Additional Reading Material
▸ 3X3 Planet
SportzConsult, India’s No.1 amateur sports management
Where to find us
company was launched in 2003 with a mission to make
▸ BWF Shuttle Time
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▸ Get Inspired: How to get into Tennis
with 300+ most well-known Brands, Corporates, Leagues, 1101, Real Tech Park, Sector 30A, Vashi,
▸ Gold Mine Effect: Crack the Secrets of High Performance
Franchises, Federations and Associations such as Coca-Cola, Navi Mumbai – 400703
▸ Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class
Nike, Red Bull, Adidas, Hero, BBC, IMG, etc. and delivered more
Performers from Everybody Else, by Geoff Colvin
than 500 events, creating opportunities to play for more than Bengaluru Office :
▸ The Danish Club Structure – A Very Good Idea
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and achievements towards grassroots sports development in
India.
Contact Us
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yogesh@sportzconsult.in rajesh@sportzconsult.in nupur.gupta@sportzconsult.in
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