Editor’s Note W
hen the Indian Premier League was introduced in India in 2008, it invited debates from several quarters. Some were for the formation of IPL; some were naysayers, while others were fence-sitters.
ENLIVENING THE PROFESSIONAL FACE OF SPORTS
But it stayed for good and inspired many to follow suit. Today, IPL's valuation has grown five times since its establishment and has employed thousands. The Indian sports scenario is undergoing a dramatic transformation, and experts in the field believe that the coming years will see more medals from international events. It is heart-warming to see the cricket fanatic India embracing newer sports, though cricket will always be an all-time favourite for many. As the sportspersons enter new sports genres with a competitive frame of mind, the need for excelling in these also grows. This calls for professional management to provide an umbrella of services.
Sumita Sarkar Editor-in-Chief
sumita@insightssuccess.com
Sports management companies are doing just that. They are into planning, organizing, directing, controlling, budgeting, leading, or evaluating any organization or business within the sports field. Sports management companies are responsible for any event to be successful and grab the necessary publicity. The past decade has seen this industry rise to a multibillion-dollar industry and is still growing. The Indian sports management companies are coming of age. The Indian Premier League, Pro-Kabaddi League, Premier Badminton League are glaring examples of how sports management can contribute to the success of sports events. Sunil Chettri, P.V Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Mary Kom, Hima Das, and many other sportspersons have developed a love for different sports in many Indians. Their profiles have been well-managed. The success of sports management companies and the love for diverse sports in India also call for more sports
professionals who can work behind the scenes to promote the sport. This is the right time to convert your passion for sports into a lucrative career in India. Read this interesting edition of Insights Success - Most Promising Sports Management Companies in India to learn more about sports management companies. We chose some exceptional sports management companies that have taken the sports field to unimaginable heights. Please read the articles curated by our in-house writers as you go through this magazine. Have a great read!
C O V E R S T O R Y
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Elite Sports Management Building Brands with Sports
ITW Consulting Pvt. Ltd The Global Sports Management Partner
Sportnicians
The Training Grounds Capturing the Magic of Sports
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C O N T E N T
Gameplan Sports
Enabling Innovative Brand Enhancement Solutions
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Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar Deputy Editor Aditya Umale Managing Editor Abhishek Joshi
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Company Name
Management
Brief
Baseline Ventures
Tuhin Mishra, Managing Director & Co-founder
Baseline Ventures represents and manages some of India's greatest athletes and entertainment stars. It stages live events and branded entertainment experiences, strategises sponsorships, and specialises in media rights distribution, and brand licensing.
Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment
Tuhin Bhattacharya, Director
Cornerstone is India's leading talent management agency in the spectrum of sport and entertainment alike.
Elite Sports Management
Nishant Dayal, Director
Elite Sports Management is the journey of over ten years in core sports marketing personalized player management, and designing of Premier Leagues.
Gameplan Sports Pvt. Ltd.
Jeet Banerjee & Malavika Banerjee, Directors
Gameplan Sports Pvt. Ltd. is one of India’s foremost corporate branding agencies, working primarily in the fields of sports and literature. We seek to present innovative and cost-effective ideas that give sponsors maximum exposure.
IOS Sports & Entertainment
Neerav Tomar, Founder
IOS Sports and Entertainment are a one-stop agency for the development and management of a diverse portfolio of sports and entertainment properties.
ITW Consulting Pvt. Ltd
Bhairav Shanth, Co-founder
ITW specializes in crafting and executing multi-faceted brand management solutions & celebrity management across a vast number of areas – Sports, Entertainment and Media.
Rhiti Sports
Arun Pandey, Chairman and Managing Director
Rhiti Sports provides access to a world of opportunity, with one overriding common purpose: Create value for stakeholders.
Sportnicians
Ishraque J. Gulray, Founder & CEO
We are focused to provide top quality premium sports services at affodable cost to make India a true sports giant!
Sportz Interactive
Arvind Iyengar, CEO
We strive to deliver the best in sports data and fan engagement using innovations in social media, broadcast solutions, mobile products, analytics, games, and video solutions.
SPT Sports
Amit Kumar Saran, Founder and CEO
We are a pioneer and a leading professionally managed integrated sports management company dedicated to the development of sports through its high quality events, own sports academy, and infrastructure development.
ELITE S
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MANAGEMENT Building Brands with Sports
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Being one of the top sports companies, Elite creates a 360-degree approach into player management and brand consultancy in sports
COVER STORY
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Most Promising Sports Management Companies In India
Mr Nishant Dayal Director
If we look at India then it is home to some of the best sports marketing and management companies who are in competition with global giants. However, Sports management and marketing is a multibillion-dollar industry in India. Professional sports have many fields around it which are emerging every day. With increasing corporate investment, media rights, international athletes, and the number of leagues in operation, there is a need for efficient sports management companies and sports management professionals to ensure that the sports industry in India runs smoothly. In 2021, sports was the only thing that kept everyone’s spirits high despite the much gloom and doom around. The Bangalore-based Elite Sports Management – a globallyconnected top player in the sports management and marketing leagues, is proud to be the gamechanger of people’s mood since 2000. Established in 2003, Elite Sports Management is one of the Top Sports Marketing companies in India. It has four major verticals and works in a 360-degree approach. Elite has expertise in its four verticals, which are – Player Management, Sports Marketing, Brand Consultancy, and Designing of Premier Leagues. “We are essentially a solutions provider who try to provide brands with the right match in sports, building authority and recall with their functionality. It is nearly impossible to achieve this in the plethora of media noise of today. Therefore, we adopt apt strategies to support brands through key solutions proven over a period of time,” commented the esteemed Director of Elite Sports Management – Mr Nishant Dayal. Elite Sports Management is an 18-year-old sports company that is into sports marketing, player management, designing of the premier league and sports consultancy for brands. Being one of the top sports companies, Elite creates a 360degree approach to player management and brand consultancy in sports. Working very closely with key cricketers of the world to handle top brands of the country, Elite has reached the level of more than 100% deliveries and customer satisfaction to its best.
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he art of sports marketing is all about creating fan awareness through allegiance, enlightened ideals, and persuasive relationships. Athletes are viewed as cultural products. We give them the means to develop their own personal brands outside their sports legacy.
Elite Sports also gave away their concepts to many Franchise-based sports leagues and is proudly recognised as a Sports Contributor
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In the vertical of designing Premier League, Elite designed the first domestic premier league which was Telecasted Live on a global sports channel in 2011, Jharkhand Premier League. The challenge was such a small state and having Live at Ten Cricket, was an achievement. It was a franchise-based league, which full lustres of Live Player Auction and matches in floodlights. Player Management has been a very straight-line approach and players like Saurabh Tiwary in their ‘under 19s’ to playing for Team India was customized who could associate quite a few brands to help in due course of their careers. Elite Sports has spearheaded numerous appearances and endorsements for many international cricketers such as CGChris Gayle. We worked hand-in-glove with them to redefine their association with brands and created their own branding example- ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle and ‘Champion Song Fame’ Dwayne Bravo. Services/Offerings • Brand Consultancy. • Strategically defining entry-level of brand inception to make it ready for rounds of investments. • From Brand Planning to go to the Global market from a step-by-step process. The Inspiring Leader Nishant Dayal comes with a rich experience of over 20 years in Sports Management. An MBA from Cardiff, a sports enthusiast and an avid sports league designer.
Nishant’s ideation at Elite Sports has been incredible. Outof-the-Box thinking with a 360-degree approach is what he specialises in. Apart from this, he has been instrumental in building relationships with players in a personal way and thus making the professional relationship more productive.
Management, to come into the sports management space. Having carved out many other different activities at Elite, the saying is apt here – “When You Do Something You Like, Work Becomes Play for You.” You can only excel in this.
He is very organized and structured when it comes to pulling the team and driving the sports events to perfection. Elite has always seen the blend of interpersonal skills and professional commitments to delivery at Pinnacle.
The Sports Management Space Today Brands have realized that over a period of time one of the reasonable ways to get brand recognition across the nation is on-ground Branding at Live Games. That's the edge Elite Sports has.
Being a part-time cricketer and full-time enthusiast, it was key for Nishant Dayal, the Director of Elite Sports
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Elite also redefined foreign cricketers brand association by working very closely with ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle and ‘Champion Song Fame’ Dwayne Bravo
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The Exciting Journey The company’s exciting journey was the storyline with the highest TRP at the ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ where cricketers were taken to be the guest of Kapil Sharma – the Laughter King of the Country. The most important aspect of Sports Management has been the brand association, whether it is the Indian Premier League (IPL) or Instadia Branding. With Sun Risers Hyderabad, we have a few brands to Sponsor along with a lot featuring in the Instadia Branding. Elite got BYJU’S, a learning app, to the Cricket Branding in 2016, and the brand never looked back. A long journey for the biggest education technology brand – BYJU’S – has
Going forward, Elite has lots of plans in the grass root levels of cricket and innovative Instadia Brand
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been centric to cricket in a bigger way. The growth of the BYJU’S was directly proportional to the Branding Quantum over the years – a true success story. Elite has worked very closely with the following brands naming a few – BYJU’S, Ralco, Attitude, Hike Messenger, SOBHA, Iona Entertainment, Max Cement, Titan, Linc Pens, DTDC, Manav Rachna, Videocon, ITM University, Reliance Mobile and others. Enduring Hardships Although the field of sports management was very challenging, Nishant Dayal’s challenge was not only to get into one but to raise the bar to a different level to compete with the global sports market. There was no trust in brands to start with earlier as the company’s used to give commitments, but the deliveries were far from the reality. He took everything in his stride positively to commit less and deliver higher than the expectation. This won accolades for Elite Sports with every association. Setting a Standard Elite also ideated their concepts for leagues to the Franchise-based sports leagues and is proudly recognised as a Sports Contributor. Elite has experience in designing leagues for 12 years now. Elite is working with 50 stadiums and in 10 cricketing nations across the globe Under the Aegis of Elite Sports Management, a foundation is run – Dr Dayal Foundation (DDF). With other multiple activities run under DDF, the most important and first-ofits-kind was started in 2006 to distribute Cricket kits to the Cricketers who have talent but lack resources. To date, Elite still distributes Cricket Kits to people in Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, etc. The first recipient of the Cricket KIT was Varun Aaron.
The Pandemic Times This pandemic was truly a tough time for everyone at Elite Sports as it was for the entire world. “It was more our foundation – DDF, which was active into activities but we waiting for the right time to use this pandemic at home. We conceptualized Bihar Cricket League (BCL) and did a ‘7 Day League’ without Generic Tickets at 50% Capacity with all norms in place. By god’s grace, we were able to conduct a COVID-Free successful league before the second wave came around,” said the team over at Elite Sports Management. The latest of the league, which was pulled out in the midst of COVID-19 was the Bihar Cricket League (BCL). Bihar, being one of the oldest cricket associations, was deprived of cricket for 18 years. Then Elite conducted BCL which was Telecast Live at Eurosport and over 120 players got a chance to play and prove their talent. Scaling the Future It’s all about the digital world today, we are here to create a unique space that will have the requirements of the brand to be met and structured differently. Also, about unique branding spaces Instadia, like we saw the era of the printed board to LED. Elite Sports has plans to create a different sports university to make this more vibrant and also give back to society differently. Going forward, Elite has lots of plans in the grass root levels of cricket and innovative Instadia Brand Planning. Nishant Dayal, the Director of Elite Sports has been the key to ideating the leagues and a guide to planning the activities centric to the Sports Management. Words of Wisdom "The only thing which Sports require, whether on the field or off-field is FOCUS. The young generation needs to stay focused and ideate things, which hasn’t been done in the past. Truthfulness is the key and you players today should be “Man manager and Situation Manager”. Sports won't demand but always appreciate if you do good..." concluded Mr Nishant Dayal.
Most Promising Sports Management Companies In India
Gameplan Sports
Enabling Innovative Brand Enhancement Solutions
S
ports events are getting attention globally and are creating new opportunities to involve sponsorships and branding agencies that are working in the sports industry. These agencies play a vital role in powering these sports events by leveraging maximum exposure for the brands and sponsors, who play a significant role in the success of these events.
Malavika Banerjee, Director
In the early days, organizers faced many challenges and one of the prominent challenges was to provide adequate exposure for their sponsors. It was a crucial need to find creative solutions that deliver more customized value for sponsors and put them in front of the audience more regularly. This is where Gameplan Sports Pvt. Ltd. came into the picture. Gameplan Sports Pvt. Ltd. is one of India's foremost corporate branding agencies, working primarily in the fields of sports and literature. This company specializes in presenting innovative and cost-effective ideas that give sponsors maximum exposure. Jeet Banerjee and Malavika Banerjee set up Gameplan Sports Pvt. Ltd. and are both Directors of the company. Together, they have made
Jeet Banerjee, Director
“
Gameplan specializes in presenting innovative and cost-effective ideas that give sponsors maximum exposure
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Gameplan a redoubtable force in the innovative branding space. Less than a year after its birth during the 1999 ICC World Cup, Gameplan made its presence felt in media circles by bringing some of the biggest names in the sport to the drawing rooms of readers in the subcontinent, West Asia, and Great Britain through syndicated columns.
Several corporate houses gained immense mileage by getting their logos positioned prominently within these columns – and therefore into the sports pages – of several of the most widely circulated publications in the country. That was the start and there has been no looking back.
various family businesses including an advertising concern and Malavika was working as a journalist – and as a team, scaring the wits out of other teams in the all-India quiz circuit with their knowledge of sports, this formidable duo decided to venture into a hitherto unexplored avenue in India.
Over the last two decades, both as individuals and as directors of the company, Malavika and Jeet have become the trusted go-to persons for top-notch companies looking for unique ideas, premium engagements with sports and the arts as well as with usually difficult-to-access personalities.
Thus, was born India's first sports marketing company. And the rest is history.
The Prologue Malavika and Jeet are sports enthusiasts, and their love for sport is pure. Bowling records and match figures are at their fingertips. After some years following separate career paths - Jeet was managing 15 | December 2021 | www.insightssuccess.in
Surmounting the Initial Challenges Gameplan is a pioneering Indian company in the sports management industry. The requirement always existed. The need was for someone to articulate and concretize the various sorts of offerings required and to provide from one organization. Sports Management in India is already a multi-billion-dollar industry. With ever-increasing corporate investment, media rights, international athletes, and
the number of leagues running, the industry is on a steep growth trajectory.
most popular short films of recent years.
When Gameplan ventured into this space, the challenges were several. Yet, they also took care of themselves. From apex sports bodies such as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to the International Cricket Council (ICC), leading media houses all happily partnered with the company, and as a result, corporate entities extended their business to Gameplan.
Vanquishing Adverse Effects of the Pandemic When asked about the effects of the pandemic on their business, the directors were upbeat. Malavika Banerjee said, “Everyone has been affected by the pandemic. Every single one of us. However, if we have learnt anything from being in the sports space for so many years, it is to get up, dust ourselves off and start over again. This is exactly what Gameplan did."
Diversified Quality Services Gameplan offers marketing and management of international and domestic sponsorship rights in India. This includes marketing and management of Indian and international cricket tournaments, player endorsements, syndicating content in print and electronic media, in-stadia advertising, 3-D signs, and event management – in more than just sport – event promotions, hospitality, and Insignia memorabilia. Since 2012, Gameplan has also been presenting the annual Kolkata Literary Meet, which has become one of the city's most eagerly awaited cultural events, bringing together luminaries from literature and allied arts. The company has also collaborated with Royal Stag Large Short Films to commission and present some of the
Jeet Banerjee elaborated, "From arranging physical meet and greets with fans to organizing online ones while trying to maintain the excitement and reward quotient, from travelling to Dubai for the IPL to working within bubbles – Gameplan has done it all and lived to tell the tale." Word to the Wise "There is nothing as unifying and powerful as sport for the morale. Also, the economics of it - sports is a moneyspinner," says Team Gameplan. "This might sound like a cliché, but passion is key," adds Team Gameplan. Team Gameplan's advice is simple "You must love sport first, and then understand the economics of it." "Sports is a physically demanding
16 | December 2021 | www.insightssuccess.in
business, even for those who work off the field. You must have the acumen to convert the intangible magic of sport into saleable branding approaches," Team Gameplan. Bigger, Bolder, Better Gameplan's key strengths are two-fold. One, seeing opportunity before others and two, an experienced, skilled, and professional team, united and motivated by their passion for sports and the arts. The portfolio of Gameplan extends from 3D signage (they were the first in India to do this), Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders, Indian Super League, Pro Kabaddi, Tata Steel Chess India Rapid and Blitz, Indian Chess League, syndicated columns to literature and art platforms such as Kolkata Literary Meet, Bhubaneswar Literary Meet, Jharkhand Literary Meet on to Perfect Strokes and Large Short Films. This has resulted in a proven track record of delivering national and international events. For instance, Tata Steel Chess India, India's only chess super-tournament initiated a paradigm shift in the perception of chess as a non-spectator sport. More is to come.
Past to Vast
How has the
Sports Management
evolved over the past few
18 | December 2021 | www.insightssuccess.in
T
he most immersive, awe-inspiring, emotion-evoking, engaging, and enriching human activity from ancient times is Sports (of all kinds). It invokes the spirit of the participant and enthrals the audience beyond imagination. It ensures inclusivity by welcoming people under its enchantment, bringing them together and uniting them. The sense of fraternity, sportsmanship and nation building which it induces is the best kind of empowerment and entertainment. For those magical spells of wonderous games, behind-the-scenes sports management is necessary. Otherwise, on-the-field play might turn into chaos and off-the-field experience will be a disappointment. It creates as many opportunities as challenges. Opportunities in the form of employment. And challenges in the form of bringing every aspect of conducting a sport activity under one umbrella. That umbrella, in modern era is termed as Sports Management Firm/company. Sports Management Evolution: The Indian Story Sports management evolution led the entire new age revolution of global sports industry. Neither evolution nor revolution happens in a day, a month, or a year. It needs at least few decades. In the recent past, Indian sport business saw its own major transformation. Sporting leagues and tournaments have encouraged and promoted various national and international sports like Kabaddi, Hocky, Badminton, Tennis, Soccer (Football), Cricket etc. in India. They also enabled various fraternities, enhanced institutional values, and created new value-chains for the entire sporting arena. All these sporting events brought in new
sports lovers including players, audience, job seekers, sponsors' etc., creating a financially ballooning ecosystem of economy. India has a long history of hosting major international sporting events including Asian games (1951,1982), ICC Cricket World Cup (1987,1996,2011) and T20 WC (2016), Hockey World Cup (2010), Commonwealth Games (2010) etc. In the last few decades, especially, after Indian players and teams started winning in their competitions, Indians started looking at sports and sportsmen/sportswomen with respect, passion, admiration, and adulation. Further success of sporting events accelerated the interest momentum. Post millennium, multiple start-ups entered the Indian sport management space. They began positively changing areas like sports infrastructure and logistical support, coaching, education and training, sports technology, broadcasting and data/content management, retail (online and offline), ticket booking, venue, and event management, and of course advertising, promotions, marketing, and sponsorship. These ushered in a new vigour amongst the players, institutions, enthusiasts, and fan-followers. It also created a need for specialised jobs for various professionals who had the requisite skillset, experience, and knowledge in the respective fields of sports management. Emerging Horizons: In developed countries, sports management is occupied by professionals. The systematic management there ensures the short-term and long-term opportunities, success, and benefits for all the stakeholders of the industry. Sports industry worldwide is a dynamic sector and a major socioeconomic booster. In the last decade, thanks to the evolution, Indian sports industry has emerged as a key player in global sports markets. This expanded the scope of sports management significantly. A report by FICCI, the International Body of Sports Management, states that in the upcoming years the industry demand for skilled, experienced professionals will increase by 19%. That means by 2022, industry would generate four million professional opportunities. Sport management contains end-to-end administrative aspects of managing the business of sports in a professional manner. It encompasses league/team/athlete/talent, coaching, training, venue, and facility management, managing associations/federations/clubs/franchises, operations/logistics, media and communication, sporting event management (from conception to planning to
coordination to execution), electronic and digital mediaprogramming-marketing, sports data analytics, sports retail, sports tourism, etc. It is a prerequisite of all levels from schools/colleges, to local, to national to global, where all kinds of sports get played. Emergence of local sports on the national/international level due to the growth of competitive sport events is the best thing which had happened for sports, its fans, and investors. For fans, it meant sport engagement on a glamorous and grander level. While Sponsors are cashing in on the bandwagon and turning it into a win-win situation for everyone involved. They are adapting modern technologies like automation, gamification, immersive sports, and virtual social media to further enhance the business aspects of sports. The biggest draw for Indian sports is the empowerment of sportswomen. They are gaining recognition, rewards, and fanfare due to their winning in the major global sporting events like Cricket World Cup, Olympics, and Commonwealth Games. Sportswomen like PT Usha, Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, Phogat Sisters, Anju Bobby George, Sakshi Malik, Mithali Raj, Sania Mirza, and many more have become the pride of the nation and popular household names. They proved to the society that talent is gender neutral. Simply, they levelled the playing field. Indian Sports Management: The Future Indian sports today, is a million dollars industry. The further emergence of technology, e-sports, mobile gaming apps, virtual reality and increased sports consumerism is bringing plethora of prospects for professionals. Indian education too has been responding to the changes by providing professionalised sports management courses. In short, Indian sports and its management had truly evolved from the past. It is further evolving into a sheer vastness, the frontiers of which will keep expanding soon. An inexhaustible list of sports is waiting to get mapped and tapped. Once that happens, Indian will become a favourite destination of global sports.
20 | December 2021 | www.insightssuccess.in
-Gaurav PR Wankhade
Consulting Pvt. Ltd
‘‘
The Global Sports Management Partner
The core philosophy that you need when you enter this kind of an industry is – If you have the skill, and the interest then you will be the leader
C
hange is best when it brings positive transformation. And at the turn of the millennium, western professional commercialisation brought that positive change in Indian sports and the Indian sports management arena. Today, all the new national, international, and cross-border tournaments have ushered in a new era of sports promotion among youngsters, bringing in new opportunities, audiences, money, avenues, and a new business model for the market. For such tournaments, professional sports management is a must. And one name that stands out in this aspect is ITW Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
‘‘
22 | December 2021 | www.insightssuccess.in
About the Dynamo Bhairav Shanth, Co-founder, ITW Consulting Pvt. Ltd, has spent over two decades revolutionising the field of sports. He had experienced marketing through unconventional business models, reinventing approaches, to tap into the value propositions of the world of sports, media and entertainment, for top clients across geographies, that is, from Bangalore to Bermuda, from Mumbai to London. As a Co-founder and Managing Director of ITW Consulting, one of the world's leading sports consulting firms, he currently leads ITW's Global Strategy to expand its consulting map across Asia, Europe, UK, UAE, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand and the USA. Since its founding a decade ago, Bhairav has led ITW on a growth path up the value chain. With a 100-fold growth in revenue, in the process, the company forged alliances with the leading sports bodies around the world, as well as worked with the biggest brands including Oppo, Byju's, CRED, Unacademy, Pernod Ricard, Hero, Skoda, Xiaomi, on the biggest stages, such as the ICC Cricket World Cup, the Indian Premier League and the World T20. ITW's reputation and penchant for disruptive business solutions that have changed the game for how brands view the platform of sport, derives from Bhairav's vision for out-ofthe-box, integrated strategic marketing solutions, turbocharged by emerging technologies. Today, ITW is pushing new frontiers in digital marketing and brand experience solutions. Under Bhairav's leadership and his ability to bring together cross-disciplinary teams, ITW delivers projects that are changing the landscape of sports marketing. ITW was named South Asia Consultancy of the Year in 2019, and also named among the six best sports marketing companies in Asia. He is one of the youngest experts, who has time and again been able to predict sports industry trends much ahead of its time. His network of international sports professionals, organizing bodies and global clients bring him that unique edge and exposure that is unparalleled. With a vantage point that allows him to look at the sports and strategic marketing space end-to-end, he can connect disparate dots - a skill that is key in building strategies for this VUCA world - and bringing unusual insights, Bhairav has established himself as a global thought leader in the industry.
Bhairav Shanth, Co-founder and MD ITW Consulting Pvt. Ltd. With Eight offices and 1738 clients across four countries and professional sports management experience of over a decade, ITW has worked with all the biggies in the game. Managing tournaments from IPL to WorldT20, and brands from OPPO to CRED, it has also bagged numerous awards for its humongous contribution to South Asia's professional sports management work. Let us know more about it from its Co-founder, and MD, Bhairav Shanth, in an exclusive interview with Insights Success. Sir, will you please describe more about ITW in detail. We are a consulting and management firm, and last year were named amongst the top six Asian Sports Marketing companies. Since we have a global presence and an indepth understanding of the International Sports and Media market, we can help our clients to build stronger brand visibility, media buying, awareness and recall a wider target audience. Having been associated with a diverse range of brands, our expertise in sponsorship activation, sponsorship and event management, has earned us an esteemed reputation in this field. Our vision is to challenge the status quo and execute novel ideas that would disrupt the convention. It drives us to holistic solutions for a sporting event and guarantees the highest quality. We have been a part of some of the biggest sports campaigns in the country and have bagged 30 National and International awards in the past year for our
Most Promising Sports Management Companies In India
successful campaigns for clients like OPPO, Uber, Haier, and Royal Stag. For the IPL, we orchestrated 12 deals, including two official partners for IPL 2020 – Unacademy and CRED.
Despite having tough months business-wise, during the lockdown, the silver lining was, we added more employees to our team, by hiring the best talents, and keeping the company afloat, by safeguarding our current employees.
What kind of offerings/services do you provide?
What is the current industrial scenario of sports management space?
We personalize our offerings by considering the distinct requirement of client's brands across multiple spectrums under one roof. The services offered are: • Rights and acquisition sales • Media Planning and Buying • Talent Solutions and Management • Influencer Marketing • Celebrity Endorsement and Brand Ambassador Collaborations • Digital Media Sales • Franchise and league development • Sports investment consulting • On ground and in stadia branding and activations • Television rights and broadcast sales • Sports production How much ITW was affected in these pandemic times and what were the steps taken by you to curb the damages all the while helping your clients and maintaining the safety of your employees? We were always ahead of the curve. In the past one-and-ahalf year, in particular, we completely reinvented ourselves and our business model and emerged from the pandemic not only unscathed but actually stronger. We launched our ITW 360 IO division, to accelerate our digitalization and to offer a bouquet of digital services. Our major sales pitches were a result of our detailed discussion with clients, based on our long-term relationship rather than the current disruptive scenario. We expanded at the height of the pandemic when a lot of sport was suspended. We tailored for multiple seasons rather than a one-off event. By moving towards consultingbased selling solutions to clients, we linked them to the best properties, sporting or otherwise. During the pandemic, we put employees' safety first. We were among the few companies, to announce WFH ten days before the country went into its first lockdown. All our employees were safe from the pandemic, by not commuting at all, right from the beginning.
Sports is a vast industry. Currently, it is at $95 billion and is expected to reach $150 billion by 2024. The current growth rate is 5.9%, compared to 2020, where it was 4.3%. Having said that, sports management as such has been revolutionized in India. The last decade had been fruitful for the industry, thanks to the number of leagues (Including Cricket, Kabaddi, Hockey and Football) that have evolved in the country. The opportunities of working with professional national and international athletes attracts a great pool of job seekers. As this kind of an eco-system requires finance, marketing and operational support, it opens an array of requirements and skills that shape up and becomes the driving force of this industry. What kind of challenges have you faced while entering the sports management space? The core principles of differentiation and disruption drive us. When we entered the market, we found an industry scape that was fragmented and ad hoc. Back in 2010, for example, a lot of the cricket associations were known for ad hoc spending and inconsistent exposures, driven by personal love for the game, rather than aligning it with marketing strategy or planning for efficient spending of sponsorship budgets. Inefficient, ad hoc allocation of marketing budget, and inconsistent alignment of strategy and properties, were the key challenges we faced and set about changing the perception and the process. Where do you envision ITW Consulting to be in the long run and what are your future goals? On-ground sponsorship is one of our main businesses, but it is also the platform from where we are launching ourselves, up the value chain, for the future. We are looking at opportunities in other media spaces - OTT, digital and the like - as well as crossing over to the entertainment and tech space, where we take our experience in crafting branding solutions on-ground and are able to transfer that on to other arenas - both offline and virtual. We work with crossdisciplinary teams, by creating the possibility of offering truly integrated solutions to clients is our biggest strength.
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What made you venture into the sports management space? At the turn of the millennium, one of the biggest demographic shifts that India saw was in its consumption of sports, not just cricket, but a host of other events as well, including European football and the World Cup. The coming of the IPL supercharged that environment and created a lot of opportunities for brands to exploit what was essentially a far-reaching and blank canvas. But how the whole process was organized left a lot of gaps, with most brands associating with sporting events and properties on an ad hoc, unplanned basis. That's where we spotted an opportunity and felt that it was time to bring in the best practices from around the world, to how the sport is marketed in India, and how marketers in India leverage sport. As part of an experience, being an events company, we had a brush with a cricket tournament, where we witnessed some of the gaps firsthand and realized that we have the talent and wherewithal to go about changing this whole paradigm. That's how ITW was born. Incidentally, the initials of the company were inspired by the book Into-TheWild, because that's the leap we were taking, into unchartered territory.
What would you like to advise the young generation who want to make their career in the sports management space? If sports commerce is your forte, then sports management is the space to be in. But what does it mean to have an inclination for sports commerce? It means that you are someone who is passionate about sport; it could be any sport, but being interested in it, following teams' fortunes both on and off the field, being curious about the brands you see around them, all of this helps. With a lot of leagues that have evolved over the years in India and globally, every sport has its own need to bring out a successful tournament. Expansion of the leagues leads to expansion of business, which means the manpower increases and so does the demand to create opportunities in the sports industry. The core philosophy that you need when you enter this kind of industry is, if you have the skill and the interest, then you will be the leader. And this is something ITW has also followed as a philosophy over the years, that we are in this field and we encourage the youngsters to do so. 25 | December 2021 | www.insightssuccess.in
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The
Importance for
of
Nutrition
Athletes
F
or an athlete, physical fitness is a primary factor that is required for an active lifestyle. Everything depends on the strength, staying focused, expert skillset, and endurance when you are going after the last ball or for an exhilarating push towards the finish line. Being best at all times requires preparation, training, and patience. But that is not sufficient. Your body cannot run without the essential vitals required to engage yourself in physical activities. You must take proper care and maintain it by consuming vitamins, and other nutrients that provide you sufficient energy to stay active. Nutrients can help you to develop endurance and keep yourself healthy. An athlete's diet is not much different than that of any person who is striving to keep himself healthy. You need to include choices from each of the healthy food groups. However, athletes can or may need to customize their diet plans concerning their type of sports and the amount of time for their training. Living Healthy Every person has its ability and demand of calories
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Primary Goal
depending upon physical activities. The amount of food people usually require depends upon factors like age, height, weight, and sports activity level. The number of calories athletes require is much more than compared to a normal person. Calories come in different forms of nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates normally receive high attention in sports as they play a vital role in athletic performance. It is an essential source of the calories required for your body. Simple foods enriched with carbs like fruits, vegetables, and milk products are easier for your body to break down. Simple carbs are essential for athletes as they can supply a quick burst of energy. They enhance muscles and vital body chemicals essential for physical activities. They are preferred as a fuel source for many athletes, particularly in high intensity and long duration exercises as they can supply an ample amount of blood glucose and glycogen. Healthy carbs for an athlete's diet include whole grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, oats, and starchy foods like potatoes. Fats: Fats are essential in the diet to maintain bodily processes like hormone metabolism and neurotransmission factor. The more efficient an athlete becomes in their respective sport, the easier it is for them to operate at a lower intensity while maintaining the same level of work or maintaining the same speed – metabolic efficiency. At a lower intensity, the fats which are stored in the muscle are used as a fuel source. Fats serve many functions in the body like protecting the hormones, helping the body to absorb and manufacture some important nutrients, and energize the body. A Diet with an adequate amount of healthy fats can serve as a concentrated fuel source for athletes with high energy demands. This has significant consequences on the athletes in muscular endurance sports that require a burst of power to have energy generated. Some athletes refer to ketogenic diets to consume a sufficient quantity of fats.
Proteins: Proteins also play an essential role in nutrients required for sports activities. They provide the body with a sufficient quantity of amino acids that help to build and repair the muscles and tissues. Protein forms the main building blocks of your organs and tissues. Consuming a diet enriched with proteins can ease off the pains and help your body repair quickly after a severe injury. Protein promotes indulgence as well as a feeling of fullness efficiently than carbohydrates, or fats. This is beneficial for the athletes who often fuel up their bodies for long stretches of time. Some of the high-protein diets for athletes include soybean, nuts, eggs, and lentils. Athletes need the same vitamins and proteins as everyone else. An effective way one can stay healthy, and fit is by consuming a balanced, and nutritional enriched diet. It should contain ingredients rich in calcium, iron, potassium, fibre, and vitamins like A, C, and E. Micro-nutrients, supplements, and hydration Most people can usually achieve an adequate intake of vitamins, minerals, and proteins by consuming a varied and balanced diet. Athletes can ensure that they are consuming the essential vitamins and minerals to enhance their general health and athlete performance. Moreover, athletes should stay hydrated. Given that sweat losses are a combination of fluids, and electrolytes like sodium and potassium, athletes can stay hydrated by constantly drinking water, energy drinks at times, to meet their hydration needs. Athletes have different nutritional requirements depending on their sports category. People who are training or racing at peak levels can find it challenging to consume enough food. Such athletes can work with a sports nutritionist, or a dietician to ensure that they are consuming enough calories and nutrients to maintain their body weight, enhance their performance, and maintain adequate protein content for a quick recovery. Their nutritionists or dieticians can provide them with a personalized diet plan to ensure sufficient nutrition supply.
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- Abhishek Joshi
Most Promising Sports Management Companies In India
The Training Grounds Capturing the Magic of Sports
T
here is an athlete in all of us. That is why we get easily enamoured by sports and celebrity sportspersons. Sport is not only a rejuvenator for our physical but also for our mental health. It is like the true education about life for a lifetime. In Billie Jean King (the American tennis player's) words "Sports teaches you character. It teaches you to play by the rules. It teaches you to know what it feels like to win and to lose. It teaches you about life.” And sports' is the great leveller. It neither discriminate nor divides. Yes, there are winners and losers. But everybody can be a winner, and anybody can be a loser. That is why every time we wish to feel lively, we engage ourselves in sports, physically or virtually. Though being engaging and entertaining, virtual sports pales in comparison to the actual, physical on-the-ground sports. And if you want to really feel that true sense of enthrallment, there is one leading Indian sports management firm which will reconnect you to your own athletic true self.
It is behind the success of eminent sports personalities like Ronak Pandit (Gold medallist of 2006 Commonwealth Games), Uday Pawar (Silver Medallist, Asian Badminton Championship), and Rama Asher (First Shiv Chhatrapati Award Winner for Softball and First Indian Women Softball Team Captain). In our pursuit of 'The Most Promising Sports Management Companies in India,' we found Mr Ishraque Gulrays, the initiator, Founder and Owner of this one of its kind of an idea called Sportnicians. In an interview with Insights Success, Mr Gulrays tells more about himself and his passion. The highlights of the interview are given below. Sir, will you please narrate to us about the inception of this unique idea? Our aim in establishing this firm was, to drive every individual's dream of staying connected to sports. I had myself been an all India ranked ex-lawn-tennis player, and I am inclined to all sports. I truly believe that playing a sport can inculcate better habits and transform a person's behaviour for good.
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Sportnicians The Sports People helps clients to reconnect with the hidden sports person in each one of us
Ishraque Gulrays Founder and Owner
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Though, I understand the lack of time and space in people's lives as they play sports digitally and not physically. I want to connect people back to playing actual sports and not just virtual sports. It does not matter what sport they are playing. That was the idea, which got transformed into Sportnicians - The Sports People. As Mr Leander Paes once told me in one of our meetings, we literally are the technicians for sports.
What inspired you to venture into this niche space? Our main intent behind incorporating a venture like Sportnicians - The Sports People, was people's needs and wants to enjoy every sport and experience them firsthand. We are true believers in the magic of sports and want people to experience them like they had never before. In our daily life full of hustle-bustle, we offer proficient services in the relevant skills. Also, we facilitate techniques that are necessary to excel at various sporting events.
What makes your services different from your competitors'? We consider the fact that we have been a player and a customer both at different points of our journey. In our corporate journey, we have also serviced the customer, whether it is B2B or B2C. Hence it is very easy for us to understand how to treat our customers well. We also believe and practice, 'never say no' which makes us arrive at a consensus with our clients.
Can you throw some light on your organizational work culture? We truly understand that urge to be creative and firmly believe that every problem brings a solution with it. Our employees always put themselves in the customers' shoes to understand their needs. Yes, we hold our people accountable as every other organization, but we also give them the flexibility of doing a certain task their way. We believe in fulfilling our commitments in a timely manner because time is everything. 'Sportnicians - The Sports People' helps clients to reconnect with the hidden sports person in each one of us. That is our mission. How has been the growth aspect of the company in terms of revenue, clients, investors, and geographical presence? Our mission helped us immensely in expanding our target audience, revenue as well as clients. We are steadily growing across PAN India and serving our clients with their sports needs. We plan according to the budget available with each and every client, which in turn is a win-win situation for everyone involved. What message would you like to put across to our readers and your stakeholders? Sports is the next big thing in our country. Schools, corporates, our government, everyone has acknowledged it. With multiple hashtags, many leagues coming up in the country, school games, corporate games, in all of these, ultimately, sport is going to be the winner.
Who are your target audience? Everyone is our target audience. From kids to schools, from parents to employees and organizations, we serve everyone.
How are they benefitted? What can they expect?
Sportnicians will surely play a crucial role in promoting sports whether it is coaching, infrastructure, tournaments, casting, league management, events, consultancy, merchandize, facility management and so on. Sportnicians will work with each and every client in order to pull off a successful sporting activity. We are just a call away.
They benefit by understanding the sport right from the grassroot levels if they were not aware about it. We also introduce sports of all kinds and not just focus on the commercially beneficial sport.
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