As India’s world-record holding left-arm spinner and the trump card of the Mumbai Ranji team for several years, Nilesh Kulkarni was always known for his untiring bowling spells. It was perhaps this tenacity, coupled with his ingenuity, that helped him mark his corporate debut with IISM - arguably India’s first ever Sports Management Institute offering a dedicated, full-time Post Graduate Programme in Sports Management & Marketing. Blessed with a glittering advisory board comprising industry bigwigs, the institute has also won recognition from Griffith University, Australia that grants ‘credit points’ eligibility for the latter’s Masters in Sports Management (MSM) program.
Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, Chief Administrative Officer, BCCI addressing the audience at the IISM convocation ceremony
Along with Dean Shail Kapri, Program head Kaustubh Dwivedi and top-notch faculty members, Kulkarni seems to have established IISM’s competitive edge in the inaugural year itself. Majority of the founding batch members are placed with esteemed organizations like Percept D’Mark, Olympic Gold Quest and Cricket India Academy. Yet, IISM insists it’s not a perfunctory gateway to secure a career in sports management but a movement of empowerment that intrinsically enhances the student’s employability though the quality of its education. The claim seems plausible as IISM’s value proposition seems to lie in its unique course curriculum, way ahead of the impressive tie-ups and esteemed advisory panel.
IISM offers a judicious blend of customized classroom learning and relevant field experience of managing key sporting events. The nurturing environment is also aimed at fueling the spirit of inquiry, initiative and co-creation in students.
Initiatives like the IISM Think tank and IISM Action Group bear testimony. While Think Tank is a core ideation platform to enhance student awareness and competence in shaping and steering community paradigms shifts, Action Group encourages the change architects among students to work on real, identifiable and burning issues of community interest in the context of sports management. Such collaboration is rare in Indian academic setups, whether sports management or otherwise.
IISM students with ace cricketer Rahul Dravid after the interactive session
Live interaction on relevant issues with sporting champions is a regular feature at IISM. Among the luminaries who have graced the campus till date include ace cricketer Rahul Dravid, popular tennis icon Mahesh Bhupati, hockey player and founder of the Olympic Gold Quest (OCQ) Viren Rashquina, ex-India wicket keeper Saba Karim, Sri Lankan star Marvan Attapatu and former India batting sensation Vinod Kambli. Prof. Ratnakar Shetty of the BCCI was the guest of honor at the convocation ceremony held only a month back.
Having passed the first year with flying colors, IISM now looks to enhance its edge in what’s essentially a dynamic market of fast-evolving paradigms. In any case, sustaining success is invariably tougher than achieving it. At the same time, the growth potential seems colossal especially in a god sent country. Sport Management in India is today a humungous business – whether in terms of viewership, events and media coverage or in the form of advertising, sponsorships, merchandise or publications. More so, the country boasts of a population of 300 million in the happening age group of 13 to 21. Many among those could well be the young champions that IISM seeks to empower.