A Plan to Enter the sport industry
A young man decided the direction he wants, who from an early age wondered about the lags of football in his country.
We present another of our mentees of SportIn Global Mentorship Program, who already has great knowledge and experience in the sport industry.
Thanks for joining us, Sanidhya!
Sanidhya, could you share with us your background and your professional experience?
I am a recent graduate from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. During university, I received my BA in International Relations, where I specialised in the international relations of South Asia and studied new media and journalism. Having always wanted to get into the sports field, I decided to take the unconventional route and study International Relations to enhance my knowledge of world affairs and economic and political affiliations within countries before I entered the world of sports so I’d have a holistic approach to the real world. I have worked and interned with various firms in India and London to gain exposure to multiple fields and settings. Working as a Client Relation Assistant and Operations Executive at Joos, I got to work with various clients, constantly developing and proposing suitable solutions.
We believe that you have created a very interesting plan to enter the sports industry. Could you share parts of it with us?
An amalgamation of my passion for politics and curiosity about sports worldwide prompted my job search in the sports industry. Living through the poor management and lack of infrastructure for my national football team led me to think of methods to fix this huge problem we have right at the heart of Indian Football. I am currently pursuing any opportunity I can get at the grassroots level of football in England. My mentorship program with Mr David McGill has opened a vast window of opportunities for me. The conversations I have had with him broadened my idea of the industry. I am currently focused on educating myself in the business sphere of football, and I also completed my FA Level 1 certification in Talent Identification.
What opportunities appeared after you graduated?
Since graduating, I have begun researching and educating myself about the sports industry. I was determined to do this since day one and explored my undergraduate life by studying International Relations. Since then, I have dived into any information I can acquire about the market of the football business and met a variety of new people who work in the field and learned from their experiences. Using the power of Social Media platforms, I have gotten to know various people across different levels of professionalism; I have met people during football podcasts and agents who are currently working towards developing South Asian footballers. I have learnt a lot from all these people, and the main piece of advice I take away from my conversations is the reality that I might not stumble upon an opportunity, but I might have to create one for myself.
Tell us what it was like to participate in the opening ceremony of the Indian Super League.
Since an early age in my life, I have followed football religiously. When the opportunity was availed to me to volunteer for a league aimed to revolutionise Indian Football, I jumped on it. The Indian domestic games before were never regularly telecasted nor promoted due to the popularity of other sports like cricket, where the national team and the regional franchises were both provided with competitive infrastructure and platforms, turning them into economic successes. . The ISL had been functioning for a few years already. When I volunteered in 2017, it was the first time the already established and well-recognised regional football club Bengaluru FC was accommodated into the league. Since then, there have been reforms to include more clubs and develop a system under the guidance of the Asian Football Confederation. It represented a step forward for Indian Football. Even being a minuscule part of this opening ceremony filled me with hope, knowing there’s growth in some form.
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When considering all the social issues in sports. If you could choose one issue to solve, what would it be and why?
More than one social issue in sports has made me more passionate about this field. I have grown up seeing football managed poorly in my nation. I have also witnessed the dramatic changes that have taken place in world sports in the last two decades. Each comes with controversy and backlash from some sections of the world community. I believe in equal and fair representation for everyone, which is also the key to solving most of the world’s issues. South Asian representation in high levels of European elite sports is deficient, and there is more than one explanation. In 1996, a report was released ironically titled “Asians can’t play football”, aimed at clearly highlighting the issues faced by the community regarding equal representation in sports in England. Since then, little to less has happened in the last two decades to improve the situation. This issue is close to my heart and drives me to serve this community due to the massive potential I believe it has.
What are your expectations of the SportIn Global mentorship program? What do you expect to develop along with your mentor?
In all honesty, when I first signed up for the mentorship program, I was a little apprehensive due to having little knowledge of it. However, in my first meeting with Eduardo and Ole, they understood my situation and assisted me with every doubt I had. After this, I found the platform easily accessible, which made me feel a lot more involved since I felt part of a community alien to me until then. My mentor Mr David McGill and I have managed to get very far with each conversation since the get-go. I have developed a significant relationship with him, and his feedback has been valuable in my applications. I hope to make the most out of the remainder of the program and utilise this time to finish this program on a high note with a deeper understanding of the sporting world.
To finish, leave a message for our audience.
It has been a fantastic experience pursuing my dream with the team at Sporting Global. I hope this interview helped you understand me and my goals better.
Let’s try and make this industry more equal to witness the supreme talent we have around the globe.
