Live India, Love Football

A few months ago, my team and I met with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to discuss plans around the 2015 edition of the CII Soccerfest.   While this this initiative has been termed as a “fest” in past editions, I can be honest in sharing that it has really been more of an incredible corporate football tournament than an actual festival.   What has made it incredible in the past is the fact that the tournament takes place inside JNS in Delhi, a cavernous stadium upgraded for the 2010 Commonwealth Games which few “amateurs” ever get to experience as a participant. This year we collectively made the decision that the 2015 CII Soccerfest will actual be a festival, multiple days of football, music and fun. So after months of planning, the event finally took place and it was exactly what we had envisioned – hundreds of Delhiites enjoying the beautiful game while basking in the comforts of the warm winter sun. Beyond including youth and womens divisions in the t...

I had the opportunity to attend the 2015 AFC Annual Awards gala last night. Of all places in Asia, this special evening recognising Asia's best just happened to take place at Kingdom of Dreams, not only one of my favourite dinner spots in Gurgaon, but also a destination which is only 5 minutes drive from my apartment - which is unheard of in Delhi. Anyway, the event was quite impressive - definitely a fantastic showcase of Indian culture for the delegates from all over Asia. I felt lucky to have had the opportunity to experience the evening and spend time with some a number of friends in the industry. Here are few pictures from the event: Dance performance in between the presentation of awards With friends from Slum Soccer, One World Play and AIFF All of the AFC Award Winners on stage Kingdom of Dreams AIFF President Praful Patel with AFC President Sheik Salman An act from Kingdom of Dream's flagship show Zangoora peformed during the Awards ceremony...