Sports is mostly viewed as a form of recreation or extra-curricular activity, than as a career choice. Asian Games gold medallist, CEO of Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academies (MBTA), Gaurav Natekar, talks about how people’s attitudes have changed. He sheds light on the career choices that can be explored in the sports sector. He also elaborates on MBTA’s school tennis program.
Schools usually allot a period for physical education. Do you think it is enough to foster an interest in sports?
Generally, schools have two sports period per week. But, a lot of the newer schools have an extra hour dedicated for extra-curricular activities. While this time is not enough to produce champions, the MBTA programme’s aim is to introduce a child to tennis and improve the child’s neuro-muscular skills and hand-eye coordination. Another problem is India doesn’t have public tennis courts and one needs a club membership to play the game. Thus, if the school helps to give children a taste of the sport, it becomes a win-win situation for everybody.
ADVERTISEMENT
It is a misconception that students cannot balance both sports and academics. They are increasingly making alternative career choices. The student has to be motivated and the parents should be more supportive because they have to make some sacrifices. But it is not a tough task. Sport teaches you discipline and parents should inculcate the habit of letting their kids go out and play.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
MBTA was started in 2007 with a vision to popularise the game at the grass-roots. Even now, the number of children taking to a sport, especially tennis, is less. Therefore, our main aim is to try and get as many children as possible to play tennis. The training centres are for children aged five onwards — from kindergarten to class V.
The basis of the training centre is to bust the myth that tennis is an elitist sport. Schools need not have a huge area to provide tennis coaching. We teach tennis in an area of 25x25 feet in schools and we provide the specialised equipment — smaller sized racquets, lower levelled portable nets, sponge balls (so that they don’t bounce very high). We make the sport more user-friendly and fun for the children . We have about 26 centres across India today with about 8,000 to 10,000 children enrolled in the classes. About 85 per cent of our students are in class V, there are many teenaged children who are participating at the national levels.
We’ve produced 100 state-level, 40 national-level and seven or eight international-level players.
Is the sports quota in educational institutions creating more interest in sports among the youth?
It definitely helps in creating awareness, but it can also be a double-edged sword. In India, a lot of children and their parents use it only as a platform to get a job, not to excel in sports. The government should have a layered system for awarding marks based on which level you have played. This will help push children to try much harder.
What career options can be explored in the sports sector?
There is a misconception that sport is a risky business and students often worry about not meeting the parameters. In that sense, sport can be risky, but it offers a variety of career options and it is a lot easier to build a career in sports.
For example, a student will need to study a lot in order to become a doctor or engineer. However, based on which level a student has played; he/she can become a commentator, journalist, sports event organiser, sports manager, coach, physiotherapist, etc. With a number of leagues sprouting up in numerous sports, there are additional job profiles that are required in order to provide back end support — from managers, accountants, legal support, etc. Other than that, sports tourism and sports auctioning, fitness are other upcoming sectors which can be explored by students. Unfortunately, careers in the sports sector are not explored in India, and a big boom is waiting to happen.
Sports is not considered to be a conventional career choice among parents. Do you see any change in that?
This attitude has considerably changed. Parents are now pushy and keen, which again comes with its own challenges. But it is better to face these challenges than not have eager parents .
Recently released films, based on sports and sports persons, also help change parents’ attitude . This is good time for Indian sports. Although a lot needs to be done, we are progressing quickly.
Tennis is considered to be a rich man’s sport. How do you ensure that there is equal participation from all strata of society?
We want equal participation which is why our monthly subscription charges are as low as Rs. 300 per month. At that amount, with all the equipment given by us and trained coaches provided by us, it is important that this effort is pushed hard. Therefore, we are now trying to create awareness and we are trying to take it ahead in multiple schools.
We have a very special program with the Kerala government called ‘Project Smile’, whereby the government along with us is subsiding the coaching of students belonging to underprivileged families. This is being done in three schools in Thiruvananthapuram. We have got some phenomenal results within two years where some of the children are winning state-level tournaments. This model is easily duplicable in other States too.