In 2008 when Indian Premier League was launched in India none of us in India or the world had ever imagined that it would revolutionize the sports industry in India. In the last 9 years after the launch of IPL, India has witnessed various leagues in sports like Football, Badminton, Kabbadi, Hockey, Wrestling and many more.  India’s participation in Rio Olympics 2016 with the largest ever delegation and its performance there proved that our country is marching towards becoming a Sporting nation. The youth today is not only focusing on Cricket but is also open and keen about new formats in various sports. With the support from private sector, NPO’s and great initiatives by Government like ‘Khelo India’, the focus has now shifted towards solving infrastructure and training issues and nurturing young athletes at Grassroots level.

But are we as a nation ready for this growing sports culture?  How will we take care of a segment which is so niche and is growing rapidly since last few years?

The answer to the above is we need more professionals to manage the ‘Business of Sports’ in India, individuals who understand the system, culture, functionality and its requirements.  For the same we need Management Institutes, Universities to start focusing on Sports Management as a career. The Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development  of India should design a course curriculum which includes subjects like Sports Marketing, Sports Law, Player Management, Sports Nutrition, Sports Psychology, Sports Analytics, Sports Ethics, etc. Sports Management organisations and sports players should be invited to give feedback for understanding the current needs and areas of concerns. This indeed will bridge the gap between the Industry and the Institutes.

‘Train the Trainers Program’ should be introduced where industry stalwarts are encouraged to teach subjects and write books with proper research and support from academicians.

By 2022, as per FICCI Report – Sector Skill Council Sports, Physical Education Fitness & Leisure, projected Human Resource requirement in Sports Management will be 7,45,984.

Sports Management Career can pay well, it depends on which area of industry a individual decides to enter. For example if you manage a Sports Celebrity or if you are into Sports Sponsorships the salary can be high. If you start with a entry level job the salary will be decent.

Sports Management can be a career for those who wants to learn about sports management business, wants to turn their passion for sports into a career or current employees in the sports field who want to enhance their skills. 

Currently India has a handful of Institutes which are focusing purely on Sports Management Education unlike in other Countries where a student has an option of choosing a Master’s degree from more then 16 Sports Management Master’s Degree available in different areas catering to Sports as an Industry.  Most of the Universities abroad are also offering Bachelors Degree in Sports Management due to which we see a lot of Indian Students migrating abroad for the same. The fee structure for courses varies from Institute to Institute.

To conclude, the above mentioned Human Resource required by 2022 can only be achieved when the no. of Institutes offering Sports Management education in India will increase. Sharing knowledge, creating awareness and increasing support to the Government by private institutes and by individuals to design course curriculum, will not only help in creating an organised system but will also take the Business of Sports in India to the next level.

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Author

Sarvesh Sajjan Kedia

Career Expert & Consultant

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