Similar to music and dance, I truly believe
that sport and education have the power to unite people from across the
world. I experienced this over the past
few days while hosting a group of sports management students from Deakin
University – Australia. This was the
third year in a row that I have presented the ‘Indian Football Landscape’ to
the Deakin students however, this engagement was something truly special.
that sport and education have the power to unite people from across the
world. I experienced this over the past
few days while hosting a group of sports management students from Deakin
University – Australia. This was the
third year in a row that I have presented the ‘Indian Football Landscape’ to
the Deakin students however, this engagement was something truly special.
The Global Institute of Sports Business took
the initiative to ensure that our friends from Australia had an experience that
they will not soon forget – which stemmed across sport, education and cultural
immersion. The primary in-classroom
highlight of Day 1 was when the students from both countries came together to
research and present on various ways in which Australian and Indian sports
properties can build their respective brands in the other country. This was followed by a riveting Bollywood
dance workshop which left the entire group high-fiving, laughing and hugging
like they have known each other for years.
the initiative to ensure that our friends from Australia had an experience that
they will not soon forget – which stemmed across sport, education and cultural
immersion. The primary in-classroom
highlight of Day 1 was when the students from both countries came together to
research and present on various ways in which Australian and Indian sports
properties can build their respective brands in the other country. This was followed by a riveting Bollywood
dance workshop which left the entire group high-fiving, laughing and hugging
like they have known each other for years.
Day 2 was intense. We started the day with a
yoga class which was followed by a series of Guest Lectures delivered by
representatives of the following sports companies: IMG-Reliance, USports,
International Olympics Committee, JSW Sports, FIFA U17 World Cup and
FutureGroup. There were no formal presentations as each speaker chose to focus
on sharing their own personal journeys into the sports industry and offer some
guidance to the group of aspiring sports management professionals.
yoga class which was followed by a series of Guest Lectures delivered by
representatives of the following sports companies: IMG-Reliance, USports,
International Olympics Committee, JSW Sports, FIFA U17 World Cup and
FutureGroup. There were no formal presentations as each speaker chose to focus
on sharing their own personal journeys into the sports industry and offer some
guidance to the group of aspiring sports management professionals.
By the end
of the day, the entire group felt like one solid unit. It was interesting to observe our Indian
students open up over the 2 days and inter-mingle with their Australian
counter-parts. As I reflect on the whole
experience, a few interesting insights come to mind:
of the day, the entire group felt like one solid unit. It was interesting to observe our Indian
students open up over the 2 days and inter-mingle with their Australian
counter-parts. As I reflect on the whole
experience, a few interesting insights come to mind:
- Our
students stepped up their game when they were grouped with the Australian
students and requested to make a presentation on a particular topic
- The
Bollywood dance workshop was one of the best ways to bring the group together
as the students had to work together and look silly in front of one another
- Starting
the day with group yoga and meditation had a powerful impact and grounded
everyone so that they could absorb the rest of the day
- These
inter-program exchanges provide an ideal platform for students to begin
building their network outside of their batch
I hope to
replicate this with students from programs located all over the world as the
Indian cultural and sports experience can be eye-opening and life-changing for
those who arrive into the country open for anything.
