Speaking at Sportzpower's Indian Football Forum 5 Years Later: New Content, New City, Same Level of Professional Importance

I had the opportunity to speak on a panel at Sportzpower's Indian Football Forum at the St. Regis Hotel in Mumbai.  The panel was entitled "Corporate Social Opportunity" and it was focused on corporate support of grassroots football in India- a topic which is close to my heart. From a content and profile of speakers perspective, I felt that the conference was strong and it's actually extraordinary to see how much more there is to discuss thanks to the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Indian Super League and investors like Ronnie Screwvala who have committed millions of dollars to build the sport up from the grassroots level.

I've attended every Indian Football Forum over the past 5 years, but the last time I spoke at one was in Delhi in March 2010 which was sort of my professional "coming out" party within the Indian football industry. Through a stroke of luck, Sportzpower's founder and CEO Thomas Abraham gave me the opportunity to deliver a keynote presentation comparing Major League Soccer with the I-League. The presentation went well and the next thing I know my stock within the industry has gone up a few points.

I have deep gratitude for Thomas and his team at Sportzpower as they have not only invested time, energy and resources into organising these forums for the past 5 years, but have also allowed me to serve on a panel during 2 significant times in my professional career. In 2010, it was about introducing myself to the Indian football community and now in 2015 it's about reminding the community that, even without Sukkhi, Libero Sports is still going strong.

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