Live India, Love Football

Over nearly a decade of being a part of this country’s sports industry, I’ve organized and attended more conferences than I can remember. While some have been incredibly memorable and others have been downright miserable, I can confidently say that sports conferences in India have significantly improved over the years.  I don’t mean ‘improved’ in terms of the star rating of the host hotel, the profile of the speakers, or taste of the free lunches served as some of the earlier sports conferences I attended back in 2009 were hosted in India’s best hotels, buzzing with corporate honchos & sports legends, and overflowing with exquisite butter chicken and made-to-order pasta. No, what I mean by ‘improved’ is that the substance of the conversation has evolved to a far more professional level and the general tone of the conferences organized lately ooze with enthusiasm and possibility versus negativity and passing the buck which was the predominant vibe in the pa...

A few months ago I was in the India On Track office and the team was discussing the upcoming LaLiga screening of El Clasico that was planned to take place in Delhi on December 23.   India On Track organized El Clasico screenings for LaLiga in the past with great success.   About 12,000 people showed up to the one in Delhi and 3,000 in Mumbai as it was a smaller facility.   During that meeting I was told that this year’s target was 15,000 and I was secretly wondering if that many Delhites would show up to an open ground in Okhla on cold December evening to watch a match that they could watch on TV in the comforts of their own homes. Fast forward a few months, it’s 7:30am, I’m sitting in trailer parked in the middle of massive ground in Okhla, a part of Delhi I rarely ever visit.   It’s early, cold, slightly dark and there is still so much work to be done to get the place set up for the screening later in the day.   As the whole IOT team works diligently ...

Thanks to the fact that I’ve been around the industry for awhile and have built a decent network, I’ve had some unique experiences that fall somewhat outside of what I imagined I would be doing when I first came over to this country to support the growth of football. One of these unique experiences took place a few days ago when I had the opportunity to spend time with NBA Legend A.C. Green in Mumbai discussing the development of basketball in India.   A.C. Green won three NBA Championships and was a staple on the Lakers from 1985 – 1993. A.C. Green was also a staple in my home growing up, well at least through the TV screen, as my family spent a lot of time watching the LA Lakers especially during the late 80s and early 90s.   It never crossed my mind that I would have the opportunity to spend time interacting with A.C. and certainly never thought that an interaction would take place in an office in Mumbai, India of all places.     But life continues to amaz...

I’ve not updated this blog for some time now. Mainly because there were so many changes in my professional life that I didn’t even know where to begin. Now as I am onboard a plane en route to Kerala, one of my favorite states in India, and about to attend a press conference to announce an exciting new project I can take a deep breath, smile and comfortably share what has been and is currently going on in my world.     The big news is that I’ve resigned from my role as CEO, DSK Shivajians FC and have joined the management team of India On Track, a Sports Management and Development agency. The transition has been somewhat seamless and while I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to run a professional football club and help my friend and DSK Owner, Shirish Kulkarni, grow his football project I’m truly happy to be back hustling for a global sports agency.         I started my journey with DSK Shivajians in 2012 when I first met Shirish through my ...

During the entire time I've been in India, I've been asked the same question over and over and over again, "Do you ever think about moving back to the US and working in sports over there?" To be honest, yes, I do think about this from time to time as the US sports industry is incredibly structured (something that I appreciate and can thrive within), the US soccer industry is growing at a rapid pace, and US Soccer & MLS are two organizations that have taken up a big place in my heart. All that being said, my typical response to this question is, "Yes but I'm happy to be in India where I have a genuine opportunity to be a pioneer within the sports industry." This is a sentiment that I had before I got on the plane to move to India back in 2009 and it is a sentiment that holds true for me today in 2017.  With the right amount of passion, creativity, persistence and resilience anyone can launch an impactful and meaningful initiative in India - one ...

T he 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup just finished with an exhilarating 5-2 England win over Spain in a match where England came back from 0-2 to score 5 unanswered goals. FIFA and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) couldn’t have asked for a better way to end this mega-event that was officially awarded to India way back in December 2013. As I normally do for many major sporting events that are organized in India, I’ve summarized my thoughts on the organization of this historic tournament below broken down into what was “Great” and what “Could Have Been Better.” The Great It Actually Happened India is a fascinating country where the unexpected can arrive out of thin air and something that is guaranteed can just disappear into thin air.   The fact that the tournament actually took place is a massive achievement and testament to the efforts of the LOC, AIFF and FIFA. They were able to persevere through Government red tape, a new Prime Mister, limited budgets, the threat of te...