Live India, Love Football

This is a line (sans what’s in the parenthesis) taken from the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams.” In the movie, an actor played by Kevin Costner builds a baseball field in the middle of Iowa and crowds of people magically show up to the ground including his dead Father. Since then so many sports organizations have made the mistake of believing that just by establishing an Academy or building a stadium, the fans will show up.   This only works if you are building another La Masia or if a live U2 concert is the first act in your new stadium.   The reality is that the public no longer just jumps at something unless there is some certainty that it would be worth their while which makes it extremely important for sports organizations to remain open about reaching out to the masses - by traveling to their backyards.      In early 2014, just a few months after our client, DSK Group, launched the Liverpool International Football Academy, we had to a make a call whether...

The past 2 months have been extraordinary! I married the girl of my dreams and then went on an incredible island-hopping trip through the Philippines. Honestly, I had no idea what my life would be like when I moved to this country many years ago. I was sure that I would be involved in football and hopefully make some friends along the way.   But not even in my wildest dreams – and I am a chronic wild dreamer – could I have imagined meeting my soul-mate, falling in love with her, her actually falling in love with me and us getting married in Delhi in front of 500 of our closest family and friends.   All the clichés, advice and statements I’ve heard for so many years are true. Sayings like, “when you meet the right person, you just know," and “Punjabi Indian weddings are the most fun weddings in the world" and “make sure you stop a few times during your wedding, look up and enjoy seeing all of your friends and family together in celebration of love.” Although I've...