Our vision is to get children to play! As simple as that. But it took us 14 years and multiple business models to finally develop an idea that worked. The journey has not been easy. And it started in 2003. We were evaluating many start-up ideas. Nothing clicked. Until a friend shared the story of his son not playing enough and wished that there were more playgrounds. This thought sparked an idea; a business was conceived and a company named SportzVillage was formed in August 2003.
The aim was to make sports an integral part of every child’s education and upbringing.
The solution was a ground. An open, multi-sport playground with cricket, football and basketball. A safe place where children can experience the magic of sports, without the pressure of performance.
The grand start-up dream was to have a SportzVillage in every zip code of the country.
But that clearly did not happen.
Between 2003-2008, there were series of businesses we tried and failed at, but we chose to stay within the canvas of sports. We learnt that building a model requires a product/service that is relevant throughout the year and not just seasonal.
A safe place where children can experience the magic of sports, without the pressure of performance.
In 2004, we thought of building a business around getting corporates to play and leverage sports for employee engagement. The corporate sports business and the sports marketing business in 2009 evolved into SportzConsult – which today helps leading brands and corporates like Nike, Reliance, Hero, and Axis Bank amongst many others leverage sports to meet their brand/employee engagement goals.
In 2009, we also realized that the best way to make children play was inside schools, by aligning sports with education and ensure that model was scalable and viable. Thus, EduSports came into existence!
Today, Sportz Village predominantly helps people play through two businesses – EduSports and SportzConsult.
EduSports collaborates with schools across the country to make sports an integral part of school education. EduSports uses structured physical activity and sports as a pedagogical tool for developing mental skills, behavioral skills, and physical conditioning in children. EduSports fills the gap in the market by providing a structured PE and sports program that fits into the school’s context and helps create Physically Educated children while ensuring that all stakeholders (parents, teachers, school leaders) are involved in the process. EduSports programme has the following design principles: age-appropriateness, adequate equipment for all children to stay engaged, assessment, and fitness/skill parameter tracking, and parent engagement where parents participate in the process of building healthier and fitter children.
EduSports collaborates with schools across the country to make sports an integral part of school education.
EduSports currently works with over 650+ schools, across 250 locations. EduSports has touched lives of more than 5 lacs children and helped them become healthier and fitter.
Sportz Consult, India’s premierAmateur Sports organization, works with brands and corporates to use sports to meet business goals, building engagement with leagues and for employee engagement with HR. SportzConsult currently works with 6000 schools, 700 colleges and 350 corporates and have delivered more than 500 events, creating opportunities to play for more than 3 million people every year.
Last year, we realized that it was important to connect with customers directly and encouraging them to get active. With the same thought, we started with Active Club, a distinctive experience for all, ranging from children to senior citizens. Through Active Club programs, an individual comes across unique and adventurous sports along with exploring new cities, both national and international. There is no requirement of specific skill or high fitness level. This program only demands love for sports and keenness to experience new activities based on their interests.
IMPACT
SportzVillage today has a network of 6500 schools, 700 colleges and 350 corporates built over the last 14 years, ensuring 3.5 million people are active every year. SportzVillage as an organization, not only successfully delivered on the promise of improved health and fitness and getting everyone experience the magic of sports, but has also put together a great team that believes in the vision and is excited about the idea of getting people to play.
FUTURE PLAN
To spread the magic of sports and get 100 million to play by 2020.
- Teaching to Play - September 15, 2017
