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Business of

Sports
Shaping a Successful
Innings for the
Indian Sports Industry
A Report

kpmg.com/in

Business of Sports

Business of Sports

Acknowledgements
This document has been released at the SCORECARD 2014 National
Conference on Business of Sports organized by the CII.
We would like to thank the following for providing their valuable knowledge,
experience and insights on the sports ecosystem of India.
Captain Amitabh, Head - Sports, TATA Steel
Dr. Amirullah Khan, Development Economist
Dr. Bharat Inder Singh, Sports Medicine Specialist and Medical Adviser, CII
Deepak Jolly, VP-Public Affairs and Communications, Coca-Cola India &
SWA
Hemanshu Chaturvedi, Founder and MD, HTC Group of Companies
Kishore Taid, Director & Co-Founder, Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools
Manisha Malhotra, CEO, Mittal Champions Trust
Mustafa Ghouse, CEO, JSW Sports Pvt. Limited
Priti Srivastava, Vice President, Reliance Industries Limited
Pulak Bagchi, Vice President Legal & Regulatory, STAR India Pvt Ltd
Ravneet Pawha, Country Director- India, Deakin University, Australia
Sukhvinder Singh, MD, Libero Sports
Virendra Kumar Mahendru, GM (Civil) & Head Corporate Sports,
ONGC Ltd
Viren Rasquinha, CEO, Olympic Gold Quest
We are grateful to the CII for their continuous guidance and support:
Rajan Navani, Chairman, CII National Committee on India@75
Deepak Jacob, Co-Chair, SCORECARD 2014, and President & General
Counsel, STAR India Pvt Ltd
Shefali Chaturvedi, Senior Director, Confederation of Indian Industry & CEO
CII Foundation
This report was prepared by KPMG team from India and Europe comprising
Vishal Gada, Alastair Graham, Waman Parkhi, Mrton Kadocsa, Zoltn Buday,
Arpita Gupta, Mohit Mittal, Pratik Soni, Snegdha Gupta, Pritesh Chhajed
and Kanupriya Mundhra, under the leadership of Jaideep Ghosh, Partner,
Management Consulting, KPMG in India, and Andrea Sartori, Partner & Head of
KPMG Sports Advisory in Europe.

Message from the Chairman

Sports has been a force for good ever since humanity existed. It brings people together,
catalyses cultural and societal change, encourages free spirit, instils discipline and
significantly enough, teaches people to win and lose. History corroborates all the
above - Jesse Owens winning those gold medals in the 1936 Summer Olympic games
thereby becoming a symbol of equality, Muhammad Ali winning the world heavyweight
championship in 1964 at the age of 22 thereby redefining tenacity, to Sachin Tendulkar
epitomising the values of an average middle class and many others.
Atul Singh
Chairman
CII National Committee
on Sports, and
Group President
Asia, The Coca-Cola
Company

Intrinsically, the importance of sports too has been in promoting an active healthy
lifestyle, creating a culture of sportsmanship and team spirit and helping in the overall
development of an individual. To a nation, however, promoting sports brings in the
spirit of the game, the national pride, a sense of social inclusiveness and of course
employment opportunities. With increased government spending on local and global
sports events and Indian athletes winning international acclaim, sports seems to be on
a steady footing but there is still lots that needs to be done.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has a National Sports Committee dedicated to
Sports that is facilitating the creation of a sporting culture in India. Therefore, as part of
CIIs India@75 vision, the Committee has developed a plan to broad-base sports in India,
help in infrastructure development and provide technical support for athletes through
professional coaching and training centres to nurture and groom talented sportspersons.
The National Sports Committee of CII is working towards creating an ecosystem for
Governments and private sector companies to combine efforts, and invest in sports.
Through continued engagement and dialogue with the Government, industry and sports
bodies, CII is enabling an environment that will be focused on promoting a sporting
culture in India and one that will place a special emphasis in recognising sports as an
industry.
One of the many steps that CII took was to partner with KPMG to develop a report on
the Business of Sports. The report explores and assesses the sports ecosystem in India,
identifies the various stakeholders concerned and addresses their specific issues and
challenges. The paper provides recommendations for both the Government and private
stakeholders efforts in enabling sports in India and emphasises the need to collaborate
and synergise efforts, so as to take the Indian sporting industry to the next level.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my appreciation to the KPMG and CII
teams who worked in developing this document.
I would also like to thank my colleagues at the National Sports Committee, CII, for their
passion and dedication towards building sports in India.

Foreword

Sports is a rapidly growing industry worldwide.


The global sports industry is estimated to be worth around USD 600 billion
comprising a range of associated businesses such as sports manufacturing,
retail, tourism, sports medicine, venues & infrastructure, media & hospitality and
merchandising.

Jaideep Ghosh
Partner
Management Consulting
KPMG in India

While sports is an organized business in developed economies, this has been a


Government led initiative in India where corporate sectors presence have often
been through corporate social responsibility channels. The exception has been the
commercial sporting formats leagues, especially in cricket, where corporate sector
has been very active in recent years.
It is critically important to build a dynamic sporting culture in India and the need
for the government and the private sector to collaborate to strengthen the sports
industry. Inadequate public resources for sports and low prominence of noncricket sports impede our performance in the global sporting arena.
Corporate funding in sports may therefore be the answer to ignite sports
development in India. The gestation period for realizing return on such investments
may be long, but global experience shows us that it could be potentially rewarding.
This report attempts to highlight the common grounds and creates a roadmap for
Sports to meet Business!

Executive Summary
The global sports sector is estimated
to be worth USD 480620 billion1,
However, in India, sport is yet to be
recognised as a sector and there is no
comprehensive study on the industrys
estimated size in the country. The sports
sector may comprise several segments
such as sports tourism comprise several
segments such as sports tourism,
sporting goods (manufacturing and
retail), sports apparel, amateur and
professional sports, recreational sports,
high school and college athletics, outdoor
sports, sports businesses such as sports
marketing firms, the sport sponsorship
industry and sport governing bodies.
A thriving sports sector usually has
significant socio-economic impact, as it
is instrumental in improving the physical
health and mental agility of a nations
human resources, and in promoting unity
and national pride. In fact, sport as an
industry contributes to about one to five
per cent to the GDPs of various countries.
However, a lack of sports culture in India
has deferred the formation of a similar
industry in the country despite growing
awareness, interest and successes in
various non-cricket sports such as archery,
badminton, boxing, chess, hockey, tennis,
snooker, billiards, shooting and wrestling
at prominent international competitions.

1. The Sports Market, AT Kearney, 2011

Due to a lack of industry status and lack


of sports culture, corporate investment
in sports in India has traditionally been
limited to CSR initiatives. However,
international and domestic examples
have shown that investment in sports
has high potential tangible return on
investment (RoI), albeit a long gestation
period for commercial returns in case of
league franchises, and has significant
intangible RoI as well. The intangible RoI
stems from increased brand awareness,
brand building among target customers
and increased brand loyalty through

community engagement by utilising the


mass medium of sports.
The main modes of private investment
and private sector association with sports
include:
Non-profit: These include CSR
initiatives and investments in the
sector by leading corporate houses,
and non-profit foundations. These
foundations are chiefly involved in
providing opportunities to children
from the under-privileged sections to
take up sports, supporting promising
sportspersons in accessing worldclass training facilities and developing
sporting infrastructure.
For profit: This pertains to the
commercial interests in the
sports sector, and covers the
entire spectrum of sports goods
manufacturing, retailing, establishing
sports academies, providing
sports curriculum services to
schools and colleges, owning
leagues and franchises, player
management agencies, media
houses, infrastructure development
companies and other companies
that seek marketing avenues for
their brands through sponsorship
association with sports tournaments
and players.
In India, non-profit association with
sport is more common. For-profit
investment in sport in India mainly
includes sponsorships and owning
leagues and franchises. The commercial
success of Indian Premier League (IPL)
in cricket has led to a surge of similar
commercial formats in other sports
such as badminton, football and hockey.
Reasonable success of the Indian
Badminton League (IBL) and the Hockey
India League (HIL) sports that dont
enjoy the same popularity as cricket, has

shown that leagues are a good medium


for generating interest and driving sports
culture besides the potential RoI. These
leagues may therefore not only benefit
their respective sport monetarily, but also
boost their uptake in the country.
Thus, with the burgeoning middle class
of India and an increasing disposable
income, media coverage of international
and domestic sports and television
and internet penetration, the time is
opportune to form an organised sports
sector with requisite policy support that
further facilitates sports commerce and
leagues of this nature.
However, long term sustainability of
commercial efforts such as leagues
will likely thrive on profitability metrics
driven by Indias performance at global
events, their popularity in the country
and the consequent rise in audience
interest. Thus, the leagues that could
be an agent to rise in sporting culture
require support from a well developed

sports ecosystem that can sustain


peoples increased interest by breeding
more quality sportspersons who can
win laurels at international sporting
events and elicit further enthusiasm. The
success of leagues and development
of sports ecosystem therefore drive
each other. This further underlines the
long-term nature of commercial returns
in leagues due to its dependence on the
development of the sports ecosystem in
the country in the long run.
In keeping with the above, the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
has re-adopted the Governments twin
objectives of broad-basing sports and
achieving excellence in them, as part of
its India@75 vision for sports because
working along these objectives would
drive business of sports. The CII vision
is further linked to winning a desired
number of medals in the 2020 Olympics.
The Olympic sports that India excels
in are not medal-intensive, with the
exception of shooting and wrestling.

Therefore, a good strategy for attaining


the CII India@75 vision could be to
continue strengthening the base of
sports that India excels in while investing
in building a talent pool for sports that
have a high medal potential, such as
aquatics and athletics.
The Government has been working
towards developing the overall sports
ecosystem to increase medal wins, albeit
few implementation issues and limited
resources. However, concentrated and
joint efforts are required from both the
Government, in terms of adequate policy
support such as provision of industry
status and relief on import duty for
sports equipment to private sector, and
the private sector in terms of building
innovative sustainable business models
for creation of sports infrastructure,
academies and franchises, to allow
business of sports to grow beyond
leagues and sponsorships and turn
Indias sporting vision into reality.

Sports Vision of India

Source: CII

Sports ecosystem
Sports ecosystem comprises different
dimensions or segments that go into
establishing and developing a sport and
various stakeholders in each segment.
The evolution of a sports ecosystem
may be evaluated by the extent of
interaction and awareness among

stakeholders, within and across various


segments. The levels of transparency
and professionalism of the system,
coupled with growing awareness of all
stakeholders, decide the extent of the
sports ecosystems evolution.

Sports Ecosystem of India

Source: KPMG Analysis

Identifying key stakeholders and


addressing their issues and challenges
is likely to go a long way towards
strengthening the sports ecosystem
in India. While the sports ecosystem is
largely driven by the Government and
Government-run bodies currently, the
role of private sector stakeholders is on a
rise and can be crucial to get the desired
momentum:
Sports governance: The role of
private sector in sports governance
is limited. However, there are
instances of private sector deals with
sports federations for overhauling/
improving the respective sport. Such
deals provide the usually cashstarved National Sports Federations
(NSFs) a financial breather to go
about implementing plans for their
respective sports improvement.
Talent scouting and training
players and trainers: There is a
reasonable presence of private
academies being run on a selfsustainable basis by former players
of various sports. These academies
try becoming sustainable by saving
on capital expenditure through levers
such as leasing playgrounds from
schools and government institutions,
rather than owning space. There is
also a significant presence of leading
corporate houses through their CSR
initiatives, and non-profit foundations
in the talent scouting and training
players segment.

Sports coaches and trainers are


primarily trained in Government-run
institutes. There are some private
universities as well that offer courses
in sports, physical education and
other sports-related sciences, albeit
on a limited scale. Private sector
contribution in this segment is also
seen by way of certain academies
that provide active consultation to
the Government in addressing the
skill gap in sports coaching in India,
and through private academies
and sporting leagues that appoint
a foreign coach who in turn shares
expertise with Indian coaches.
Infrastructure: Private sector
contribution to sports infrastructure
is minimal and is limited to PPPs for
sports infrastructure development
and operation. Some non-profit
efforts towards stadia development
have also been witnessed, but they
are limited in number.
Sports equipment industry: Key
stakeholders in this industry are
equipment manufacturers, retailers,
consumers, and private sports
academies. While India is a major
exporter and manufacturing hub
of certain sports goods, importing
equipment for some non-popular
sports significantly increases their
cost.

Leagues and tournaments: Key


stakeholders involved in this segment
are broadcasters, franchises,
National Sports Federations (NSFs),
sponsors and spectators. The role of
broadcasters and league owners in
designing a spectator-friendly format
becomes crucial to the commercial
success of leagues, for instance the
IPL, HIL, etc.
Performance incentives: Central
and state Governments provide a
majority of performance incentives
to sportspersons in the form of
government and PSU jobs, pension
funds, educational scholarships and
cash endowments. The role of private
players is currently limited, but it is
emerging gradually with the advent
of non-profit foundations providing
athlete sponsorships, and sports
consulting firms that help athletes
with post-retirement planning.
Though private players are involved
in various capacities in the sports
ecosystem, the business of sports in
India continues to be at a nascent stage.
Investing in leagues has become an
important for-profit mode of entering
the sports sector. However, profitability
in the league format has also been a
concern especially for non-cricketing
sports leagues that elicit little interest
from broadcasters due to inadequate
spectator base considering the fact
that media rights is one of the biggest
sources of league revenue.

The sports sector has long gestation


periods for investments. For instance,
it took cricket sustained investments a
long time to transform itself from being
a gentlemans game to being a game of
the masses. Its current mass popularity
attracts huge crowds, numerous
sponsors and high media rights bids for
various tournaments. This has helped
the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) become a successful and selfsustainable federation and has turned

the game into a major source of revenue


generation. The task at hand, therefore,
is to examine the inherent challenges in
the sports ecosystem and address them.
The key is to inculcate a culture of sports
that would help improve our players
performances and generate spectator
interest.
Further, there are issues with respect
to direct and indirect tax that need
to be addressed. Taxation of artistes,

sportspersons and foreign teams


participating in various national and
international sporting/entertainment
events in India has been a vexed issue.
There are issues on the indirect tax front
as well such as those relating to levy
of import duty on sports equipment.
Addressing such issues is important to
improve the sports ecosystem of the
country.

Key issues and recommendations


Some key issues have been identified across various segments of the ecosystem and
a set of recommendations have been suggested to drive their resolution. The following
table highlights these recommendations.
Table1: List of issues and recommendations
Segment of the
ecosystem

Issue

Recommendation
Nationwide campaign to raise awareness on sports

Lack of sports culture in India


Overall

Sports governance

Talent scouting and


training of players
and trainers

Implementation of a uniform sports policy across all states


Active regional/local media supporting the cause of
developing sports in India

Limited funding avenues in sports

Provision of industry status to sports

Lack of transparency

Strict implementation of the Sports Bill 2013

Limited community-level engagement in


sports despite the Panchayat Yuva Krida
Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA)

Incorporation of a community-level Engagement Team under


the aegis of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports(MYAS)
which may also help NSFs organise competitions

Limited commercial focus of governing


bodies

Institution of a Corporate Relations Team under the aegis of


MYAS that could help Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the
community-level Engagement team to deliver on their plans

Lack of coordination among the


concerned bodies affecting professional
uptake of sports

Identifying and promoting collaboration among all concerned


stakeholders to encourage more innovative business
collaborations

Lack of coaches and technical know-how


on sports in India

Collaboration between SAI and National Sports Federations


(NSFs) to train coaches

Scarcity of playing spaces and high


capital expenditure required to establish
private training academies

Allowing access of public infrastructure to private training


academies in lieu of reasonable fees
Consideration of alternative modes of financing such as
revenues from naming rights by private academy owners

Imposition of customs duty on training


equipment imported by private
academies vs. duty exemption on the
same import by the Government

Relief/exemption from duty for private academies if the


equipment is imported for academy players who have
consistently performed well at the inter-state or national level
or above

Inadequate support to former


sportspersons launching private
academies

Continued increase of public-private fund such as the


National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) could provide
financial support to upcoming academies

Segment of the
ecosystem

Talent scouting and


training of players
and trainers

Sports
infrastructure

Issue

Recommendation

Lack of awareness on opportunities for


sports coaches

Central and state Governments and NSFs may promote


awareness on opportunities for sport coaches by providing
case studies on typical career paths, opportunities for further
development and companies recruiting coaches

Lack of specialised courses in nutrition,


sports medicine and psychology

Evaluation of demand by the Government for these courses


and the establishment of lucrative incentives by the
Government for their inclusion in existing private and public
universities

Insufficient legacy planning for various


games hosted by India leading to poor
asset monetisation

Legacy planning to be done before the construction


of stadia/assets begins in order to incorporate future
requirements post international events as per the legacy plan
into design of assets

Limited implementation of existing


schemes

Mandatory implementation and periodic review by the


Central Government on the status of implementation
of schemes such as PYKKA and National Playing Fields
Association of India(NPFAI), at the state level

Limited corporate investment in sports


infrastructure development

Performance
incentives for
sportspersons

Integration of sports apparel exports with the Sports Goods


Export Promotion Council (SGEPC) for holistic promotion of
the sports products sector

Non-recognition of some sports training


import items as sports goods

Government policy could be targeted at bucketing some


equipment for sports training under sports goods and levying
customs duty accordingly, for instance wrestling mats and
boxing gloves may be treated as just sports goods and not
classified under generic gloves and mats

Lack of transparency in the governance


of leagues

Implementation of a uniform robust legal framework for


governance across all leagues

Poor monetization of leagues

Better packaging of events can make the leagues spectatorfriendly

Limited engagement of franchises with


local communities

Concentrated efforts by franchises to engage with local


community to build fan base and, hence, attract audiences

Lack of policy ensuring financial security


post-retirement for some players

Collaboration among NSFs and sports consulting firms to


plan players careers post-retirement

Limited career options within the sports


ecosystem

Provision of industry status to sports


Active collaboration among stakeholders to help strengthen
the commercial aspect of leagues and franchises.

Lack of clarity on the:


Rates at which prize money and
unguaranteed participation fee
would be taxed.
Direct tax

Creation of repository of case studies of successful


instances of corporate investment in infrastructure

Lack of a unified representation for the


sports equipment industry
Sports equipment

Leagues and
tournaments

Revision of policies and consideration of methods such


as innovative PPP models by the Government to attract
corporate investment in sports.

Taxability of global sponsorship and


advertisement revenue and prize
money i.e., whether to tax global
sponsorship, advertisement revenue
and prize money in India and to what
extent.
Taxation mechanism if there is a
triangular treaty scenario.

To further develop these


recommendations and work on
additional initiatives, it is recommended
to form a Joint Working Group (JWG)
comprising stakeholders from relevant
ministries of the central and state
Governments, sports governing
bodies such as NSFs and State Sports
Association (SSAs), private players such

as corporate organizations and media


houses and other Government societies
such as Central Board of Secondary
Education (CBSE) and National Council
of Educational Research and Training
(NCERT). The following table presents
the key stakeholders that could be part of
the JWG and the likely benefits from the
formation of such a committee.

Table 2: Stakeholders and potential to them from the formation of JWG


Stakeholder

Potential benefits from the formation of JWG


Formulation of a holistic policy

Central and state


Governments

Sports governing bodies


such as NSFs, SSAs and
Indian Olympic Association
(IOA).

Realization of the Governments vision on sports


gets expedited by leveraging existing capabilities
of other JWG stakeholders
Potential increase in sponsorships through
networking
Inclusion of suggestions from sports governing
bodies on the formulation of common governance
framework across all sports
Increased awareness among various stakeholders
on private sector activities in various segments of
the sports ecosystem

Corporate organizations

Increased ideation and collaboration on


strengthening the commercial potential in sports
Increased support to corporate houses investing
in sports, with a focus on PPP models

Media

Exploring opportunities for increasing popularity


and viewership for sports in India

Other Government
agencies/societies such
as NCERT, CBSE and
National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC)

Support from various stakeholders, especially


the Government, toward implementing a holistic
education and workforce training policy/plan

Lack of sports culture and nonrecognition of sports as an industry in


India are among the major challenges
for the business of sports in the country,
which is expected to gain momentum
by the introduction of more leagues on
the lines of IPL. The gestation periods
in the sports sector may be long, but it
has high revenue generating potential
and the Government and private sector
should synergize their efforts to establish
a flourishing sports industry in India. This
can not only generate commercial returns

but investment in sports could also lead


to high social return on investment (RoI)
in terms of brand building by reaching out
to a significant segment of the population.
Therefore, the time is ripe to facilitate
investment mobility so that corporate
houses that are already engaging in
sports can upgrade to for-profit sporting
ventures, while business houses that are
not involved in sports so far may consider
this sector as an ideal avenue for CSR
activities.

Table of contents

1 Introduction

01

1.1

Importance of sports to a nation

03

1.2

Performance of India in sports

04

1.2.1

Performance at international events

04

1.2.2

Performance of states in the National Games

08

1.2.3

Learning from the leading states

09

1.3 Strategy for India@75 Vision


2 Sports ecosystem

10
13

2.1 Sports governance in India

15

2.2 Talent scouting and training of players and trainers

19

2.2.1 Overview of initiatives in talent scouting and training

19

2.2.2 Role of Stakeholders in training the trainers

23

2.3 Sports infrastructure

26

2.4 Sports Equipment and Apparel

32

2.5 Leagues and tournaments

34

2.6 Sports as a career opportunities and performance incentives

44

3 Taxation in the sports sector

47

4 Recommendations

51

Glossary 65
Definitions 68
About KPMG in India

69

About the CII

70

01

Business of Sports

1. Introduction

Business of Sports

Globally, the sports sector is estimated


to be worth USD 480620 billion1 and
contributes about 15 per cent to the
GDPs2 of various countries. In India,
sport is yet to be recognised as a sector
and there is no comprehensive study
on the industrys estimated size in the
country. Moreover, the definition of
the term sector is ambiguous and
differs from country to country. West
Virginia University, United States, has
defined the sports industry as one that
consists of several different segments,
including sports tourism, sporting
goods (manufacturing and retail), sports
apparel, amateur and professional sports,
recreational sports, high school and
college athletics, outdoor sports, sports
businesses such as sports marketing
firms, the sport sponsorship industry and
sport governing bodies.
The definition highlights the vastness
of the sports sector and association
with several other industries such as
education, real estate, infrastructure,

02

tourism, manufacturing and retail. Indias


Draft National Sports Development Bill,
2013, recognises 66 kinds of sport. Even
if a few of the recognised sports are fully
developed and monetised, sport as a
sector can contribute significantly to the
country.
The young burgeoning middle class of
India with their increasing disposable
income offers huge consumption
potential for the business of sports. The
viewership of sporting events has been
steadily rising in the country and so is
general awareness on fitness. This is
good news for the industry, as this would
foster the adoption of active lifestyle by
people through various means, including
playing various sports. However, there is
a need to vigorously promote a sporting
culture in the country to encourage the
consumption of community sports. This
would, in turn, facilitate the creation of an
environment that is conducive to sports
commerce.

29.3 per cent3 population in the age group of 0-14 years


Middle class as a per centage of population is estimated
to increase from 4 per cent in 2005 to 41 per cent by
20254
The average share of educational and recreational
activities in the annual household consumption is
estimated to increase from 5 per cent in 2005 to 9 per
cent by 20254.
India hosting international events has also
increased awareness on sports in the
country, and, subsequently, about their
socio-economic impact. The establishing
of sporting leagues in India has made
sports more commercial, though
cricket has benefited the most. Some
noteworthy events in recent years are:
Commercial success of cricket and the
Indian Premier League (IPL)

Launch of leagues similar to IPL in


other sports such as hockey, football,
badminton and golf by sports
federations in collaboration with
private parties
Hosting of global sporting events such
as the Commonwealth Games (2010),
Cricket World Cup (2011), Formula
1 Grand Prix (2011 onward) and the
World Chess Championship.

1. The Sports Market, AT Kearney, 2011


2. Sports Retailing in India: Opportunities, Constraints and Way Forward,
INDIAN COUNCIL FOR RESEARCH ON INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC
RELATIONS, June 2010
3. Economist Intelligence Unit, https://www.eiu.com, accessed January
2014
4. Tracking the growth of Indias middle class,The McKinsey Quarterly,
2007

03

Business of Sports

1.1

Importance of sports to a nation

Sports can make significant socioeconomic impact on a nation and its


citizens. It plays an important role in
ensuring physical fitness and healthy
lifestyle among the citizens of a country. It
unites people from diverse backgrounds,
hence promoting peace and development.
With the Government providing
numerous opportunities to sportspersons,
sports also promotes social inclusiveness.
The sports sector has the potential to
make significant contribution to the
economy. Though there is no study in
India that assesses the socio-economic
impact of the sector, a study undertaken
by Sport England in 2013 highlights the
significant contribution that it could make
to a countrys society and economy.

The potential of sport in bringing about


a positive social change is evident from
initiatives such as the FIFA Football
for Hope movement. This is a global
movement that seeks to provide
visibility and support to various social
organisations that use football as an
instrument in their social development
programs. Sport the Bridge is another
such initiative that lays emphasis on sport
pedagogies to promote social inclusion
among street children in Ethiopia.

5. Economic value of sport in England, Sport England, July 2013


6. Sport the Bridge, http://www.sportthebridge.ch/english/, accessed 15
January 2014
7. Ethiopia-Sports builds bridges,http://www.beyondsportworld.org/
member/view/59/Ethiopia%20-%20Sport%20builds%20bridges,
accessed 15 January 2014
8. Sport the Bridge Ethiopia, http://www.sportthebridge.ch/english/
ethiopia/, accessed 15 January 2014
9. 3rd Edition of the EduSports School Health and Fitness Survey,
EduSports, 2012

Case study: socio-economic impact of sports on England5


Economic impact
In 2010, sports and sports-related
activities generated a Gross Value
Added (GVA) of 20.3 billion,
contributing to about 1.9 per cent of
Englands total GDP while placing it
within the top 15 industry sectors in
the country.
The sector is estimated to support
over 400,000 full-time equivalent jobs,
which is about 2.3 per cent of all the
jobs in the country.
Social impact
Apart from economic impact, sports
also make significant social impact in
the following ways:

Participating in sports is believed


to curb youth crimes and anti-social
behaviour. It also leads to improved
health and education standards.
Sports also impact the environment
positively since it encourages more
physical activity such as walking and
cycling, which reduce emissions and
congestion.
It encourages volunteering and the
estimated economic value of sportrelated volunteering in 201011 was
2.7 billion.
Performance in sports is one of the
major drivers of national pride.

Case study: Sport the Bridge6


Based out of Berne, Switzerland, Sport
the Bridge is an NGO that aims at the
personal development of children
through sports in the country and across
the globe.
Sport the Bridge runs a special program
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that serves
more than 60,000 street children7. The
NGO seeks to help these children reintegrate into the society and families by
imparting lessons on social behaviour

Indias economic growth potential, thanks


to a large young population, is of interest
to the entire world. Inculcating a healthy
sporting culture among its youth to build
a physically and mentally sound nation is
integral in ensuring sustainable growth
in the future. As per a survey conducted
by EduSports in 201112 covering more
than 49,000 across the country, obesity
is increasing among schoolchildren in
urban India with one in four in the metros
and one in six in non-metros being
overweight9. According to the survey,
about 39 per cent children do not have

through sports. Sport the Bridge,


Ethiopia, currently supports about 200
children and helps them prepare for
family life through sports such as soccer,
martial arts, athletics, tennis, basketball,
circus, juggling and dance8. This initiative
was nominated for the Beyond Sport
Award7 in the category of best project
for social inclusion in 2009 and is part of
the FIFA Football for Hope8 movement
since 2010.

correct Body Mass Index levels and about


20 per cent demonstrate signs of obesity.
Nearly one in two children covered under
the study have poor flexibility levels and
body strength. It has been observed that
fitness levels drop sharply as children
grow older, highlighting the risk of an unfit
generation. The survey highlights lack of
structured inclusive sports curriculum as
the primary reason for alarming obesity
and poor health levels apart from lack of
proper sports infrastructure and urban
lifestyle.

Business of Sports

The survey supports the findings


of a previous study conducted by
the Government of Kerala among
schoolchildren as part of its Total Physical
Fitness Program10. Kerala ranks high
on health and education parameters
in comparison to majority of the Indian
states. However, the fitness standards
of schoolchildren in the state were
found to be low in comparison to the
minimum recommended standards. In
201011, only ~16 per cent of the states
children from classes five to 10 met the
minimum recommended standards on
all health-related physical fitness test
items. The results of the Government of
Kerala survey highlight that the overall
fitness levels of schoolchildren across the
country is dismal.

10. Exposure Draft on National Physical Fitness Programme for School


Children, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports-Government of India, 2012

1.2

Therefore, sports not only instil pride


among a nations citizens, but they
also facilitate social and economic
development of a nation. This can be
achieved by building a sporting culture in
the country. Thats why CII has adopted

04

the Government of Indias objectives of


achieving excellence in sports and broadbasing them as part of its India@75 vision.
CIIs India@75 vision as a means of
building strong sporting culture aims to
attain the following objectives:
Achieving excellence in sports - Win
20 gold medals at Olympics 2020.
Broad-basing of sports in India Create sports infrastructure accessible
to common people in tier 2/3 cities;
appoint coaches in infrastructural
facilities and provide them with
equipment; provide 10,000 children in
rural areas with scholarships to pursue
sports.
How far India is from achieving these
objectives can be assessed by analysing
its past performance at international
sporting events. This may also help
identify potential improvement or focus
areas, and bring the country closer to
achieving its goals for the sector.

Performance of India in sports

India is not considered a sporting


nation and lags in majority of sports.
Its performance has not stood out at
international events such as the Olympic
Games. However, at an international
level India excels in a few sports such

as badminton, boxing, cricket, tennis,


shooting and wrestling. This demands a
thorough analysis of Indias performance
at recent sporting events to formulate a
strategy for Olympics 2020.

1.2.1

11. www.olympics.org,accessed 15 January 2014

Performance at international events

The countrys performance has not


been up to the mark at various Olympic
Games. Indias medal tally has witnessed
marginal improvement in the past few
Olympics Games, with the 2012 games
being the best so far for the country.
Indias Olympic medal tally has increased
from zero in 1988 and 1992 to one each
in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics.
This was followed by three medals in
2008 (including the first Olympic gold
medal for India) and six medals at the
London Olympics 201211. However,
India lags far behind countries such as
Australia, China, Japan, South Korea,
Russia, the U.S. and some smaller
countries such as Ethiopia and Cuba,

which have traditionally performed better


due to their core competence in some
individual sports like athletics and boxing,
respectively. Indias Olympic Games
2012 performance can be judged on the
following parameters, where the country
won only:
3.3 medals per USD 1 trillion of GDP
versus 10.5 of China, 40.2 of Russia,
162.3 of Ethiopia, 217.4 of Cuba and
808.5 of Jamaica
0.005 medals per 1 million people
(population) versus 0.331 of China,
0.564 of Russia, 0.076 of Ethiopia,
1.331 of Cuba and 4.425 of Jamaica

05

Business of Sports

Figure 1.1 : Comparison of performance of nations in terms of medals, medals to GDP and medals to population at the
Olympics

Source: www.olympics.org accessed 15 January 2014, data.worldbank.org accessed 15 January 2014, KPMG Analysis

India has traditionally performed better


in the Commonwealth Games and Asian
Games than the Olympics and it has
managed to rank among the top nations.
This may be attributed to the fact that
less countries participate in these games
than the Olympics and some of the top
Olympic nations, such as the United
States, Peoples Republic of China (not
part of the Commonwealth but takes part

in the Asian Games), Russia, Germany


and France, do not participate in these
games.
Nonetheless, as shown in Figure 1.4 and
Figure 1.5, Indias performance at the
Commonwealth and Asian Games has
improved considerably over the years

Figure 1.2: India medal tally and rank in Commonwealth Games since 1990

Source: http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=IND accessed on 15 January 2014

Business of Sports

Figure 1.3:India medal tally and rank in the Asian Games since 1990

http://www.olympic.ind.in/images/AGMedalTally.pdf accessed on 15 January 2014

India has performed well in certain non-Olympic sports as well, such as cricket, chess,
snooker and billiards.
Table 3: Achievements of India in certain non-Olympic sports
Sport

Achievements
Winner of Cricket World Cup in 1983 and 2011

Cricket

Winner of World Twenty20 in 2007 and 2013 ICC Champions


Trophy
Viswanathan Anand has won the World Chess Championship
five times (2000, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012)

Chess

Indian womens chess team finished fourth in the Chess


Olympiad at Istanbul in 2012
Indians won eight medals at Maribor, Slovenia, in the World
Youth Chess Championship 2012, including three gold medals
Parimarjan Negi won the Asian Continental Championship 2012
at Vietnam
In the last 20 years, India has won the World Championship five
times

Snooker and
billiards

Pankaj Advani has eight world titles under his belt. He also won
the gold medal for the English Billiards Singles event at the
Asian Games. He won the World Billiards Championship in 2009
and 2012
Anuja Thakur won the WLBSA ladies world billiards
championship in 2005 and Chitra Magimairaj won the Australian
Open Women in 2008
India has performed well at the Asian Games since 1982,
winning a gold medal in each of the games.

06

07

Business of Sports

Contribution of individual states at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and


Asian Games
An analysis of Indias performance at various international events also highlights the
contribution of a few states in Indias success.
1. Performance at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics
India has won nine medals in total in
the last two summer Olympics. If we
categorise athletes on the basis of
states where they received a majority
of their training or spent a substantial
portion of their youth, then two
medals can be attributed to Haryana

(Vijender Singh and Yogeshwar Dutt),


two to Andhra Pradesh (Saina Nehwal
and Gagan Narang), two to Delhi
(Sushil Kumar) and one medal each
to Punjab (Abhinav Bindra), Himachal
Pradesh (Vijay Kumar) and Manipur
(Mary Kom).
2. Commonwealth Games 2010
India showcased its best performance
so far at the Commonwealth Games
(CWG) 2010 with an overall medal tally
of 101 medals. Haryanas performance
was significantly better than other

states. Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra


Pradesh were other states that
performed well. The contribution of
Manipur, considering it has a small
population, was also significant.

Figure 1.4:Contribution of individual states to Indias CWG 2010 medal tally

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2010/10/15/indias-cwg-medal-winners-men/ accessed on 18


November 2013, http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2010/10/15/indias-cwg-medal-winners-women/ accessed on
18 November 2013, KPMG Analysis

3. Asian Games 2010


Out of the total 65 medals won by
India at the Asian Games 2010, 20
were won by sportspersons from
Haryana. Sportspersons from Manipur,
Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and
Maharashtra also performed well.

This holds true for domestic games as


well, with a few states accounting for a
significant share of the total medals.

Business of Sports

1.2.2

08

Performance of states in the National Games

The National Games 2011 were held in Jharkhand. Figure 1.5 demonstrates that
Manipur and Haryana were the best performing states on the basis of the number of
gold medal wins.
Figure 1.5: Number of gold, silver and bronze medals won by top 15 states
respectively at the National Games 2011

Source: http://www.34thnationalgamesjharkhand.in/ accessed on 15 January 2014

The absence of large states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Rajasthan from
the top 15 states could mean that these states are not doing enough to cultivate their
sporting talent.
Figure 1.6: Number of medals won at the National Games per 1 million population
of state

Source: http://www.34thnationalgamesjharkhand.in/ accessed on 15 January 2014, Census 2011, KPMG Analysis

Figure 1.6 establishes that states such


as Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Manipur,
Mizoram and Punjab fare well on the
medals-to-population ratio. But populous
states such as Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa,

Rajasthan, West Bengal and Uttar


Pradesh lag behind. These states should
work toward instilling a sporting culture
and producing successful sportspersons.

09

Business of Sports

1.2.3

Learning from the leading states

Athletes from Haryana and Manipur have


been making significant contribution
to Indias performance at recent
global events such as the Olympics,
Commonwealth Games and Asian
Games. The two states are also among
the top performing states in the last

few editions of the National Games of


India. Their success can be attributed
to the policies of their respective state
Governments and to the presence of a
healthy sporting culture. These states can
be the role models for other states, and
the country as a whole.

Case study Haryana 12


Even though the state has less than 2
per cent of Indias land and population,
its contribution to national sports has
been higher than other states. The credit
for Haryanas success can largely be
attributed to Government policies in the
past few decades.
The Haryana Government has adopted
a focussed approach to develop sports.
The states sports policy was launched
in 2006 and has been regularly revisited
and updated there has been an
increase in the incentives for sportsmen
and several initiatives have been
launched. Three important aspects of
the state Governments policy are:
1. Talent spotting and grooming: The
Government has launched the Play 4
India initiative with an aim to enable
young boys and girls to realise their
athletic potential and subsequently
hone their skills by providing support.
Under this initiative, a Sports and
Physical Aptitude Test (SPAT) is
conducted in all schools across
the state to identify high potential
athletes in the 814 age group. About
5,000 children with boys and girls
in equal numbers are identified,
and a sport ia allocated to them
based on seven physical parameters
such as strength, flexibility and the
reaction time of various body parts.

12. Haryana Review, June 2013, Volume 27, Issue 6

These students are then supported


financially and provided with training,
proper diet and health checkups.
A yearly appraisal assesses the
progress and further assistance is
provided based on this assessment.
Sporting events are held from block
level to the state level throughout
the year for students to compete and
hone their skills.
2. Infrastructure: To support
development of sports, the state has
built the following infrastructure such
as:
46 schools to train athletes,
including provision of free hostel,
games kit and food
71 stadiums at block level with fulltime coaches, managed by district
authorities, school management
and parents
Sports complex in every district
A sports library and a centre for
conducting research in sports
medicine
Centres of Excellence for individual
sports such as academies for
boxing in Bhiwani and wrestling in
Rohtak and Sonepat
3. Incentives: The Government
provides several incentives to

winners and other stakeholders in


sports:
Winners and participants of
various sporting events: Financial
incentives, government jobs
and reservation in admission
to professional institutions
are awarded to the winners in
various international events. For
example, gold medal winner in the
Olympics/Paralympic Games 2016
would be awarded INR 5 crore.
This initiative is essential since it
incentivises athletes to perform
well in various international
events, encourages parents to
allow their children to pursue sport
professionally and secures the
future of winners while allowing
them to focus on their respective
games.
Coaches and their places of origin:
The State Government rewards
the villages of medal-winning
sportspersons. For example, the
panchayat of a village of a gold
medal winner, in an international
event, gets INR 2 lakh for the
overall development of the village.
This encourages villagers to
promote a healthy sporting culture
in their respective villages.

Business of Sports

10

Case Study: Manipur


The Manipur Governments policy of
2004 recommends sport and recreation
to be made a mass movement by
making it a way of life. It states that
sport and physical education be
made compulsory in all educational
institutions. Moreover, the policy states
that adequate sports facilities should
be made available at every educational
institution and the master plans of all
civic and municipal areas should make
a provision for common playgrounds.
Moreover, the Manipur Government
allocates high per centage of its budget
toward sports and games (~1.03 per

1.3

cent of the total budget) as compared


to prominent sporting states such as
Haryana (~0.27 per cent of the total
budget) and Punjab (~ 0.36 per cent of
the total budget)13.
Manipur also has the highest number
of national games medals in 2011 per
capita and this could be attributed to
the presence of a sporting culture
in the state. Historically, Manipur
consisted of small kingdoms in
constant competition with each other
and every Manipuri was a warrior who
had to serve his kingdom. This gave
rise to a strong martial tradition, which,

in turn, became a driving force for


the development of many indigenous
sports. Some of them include Thang Ta
and Sarit Sarak (Manipuri martial arts),
Khong Kangjei (Manipuri hockey), Yubi
Lakpi (Manipuri rugby), Hiyang Tanaba
(boat race), Mukna (Manipuri wrestling),
Sagol Kangjei (polo) and Kang.14
SAI established its North-eastern
centre at Imphal in Manipur in 1986.
The presence of this facility may have
also contributed to the states sporting
success.

Strategy for India@75 Vision

While the Sports Development Bill


2013 recognises 66 sports - and many
more sports are played across India - a
developing nation with limited number

of resources and only a few champions


cannot afford to focus on all sports.
Therefore, to achieve its targets, it is
imperative for the country to identify a

few sports in which it has succeeded in


the past and use its resources on these
sports in the medium term.

Figure 1.7: Cumulative medal tally of India in Olympics 2012, CWG 2010 and Asian
Games 2010

Source: www.olympics.org accessed on 15 January 2014, http://www.thecgf.com/countries/intro.asp?loc=IND


accessed on 15 January 2014, http://www.ocasia.org/Game/GameParticular.aspx?VKZk7uGbk/BXhtRtiudAsw==
accessed on 15 January, 2014

13. http://manipur.gov.in/?cat=11 accessed 15 January 2014, KPMG


Analysis
14. http://manipur.nic.in/indgames.htm, accessed 15 January 2014

Figure 1.7 represents Indias achievement


in the past few major international
sporting events. As it is evident, the
country has won the maximum number
of medals in shooting, followed by
athletics, wrestling, boxing, archery
and tennis. The high tally in athletics,
despite Indias dismal performance in
these sports at the Olympic Games of

2008 and 2012, may be attributed to


the contribution of athletics events at
the Commonwealth Games and Asian
Games. India usually performs well in
athletics at these events due to the nonparticipation of some of the top sporting
nations such as the US, France, Germany,
Peoples Republic of China and Ethiopia.

11

Business of Sports

Indias last two Olympic performances


and Figure 1.7 demonstrate that the
countrys strength areas primarily
include shooting, wrestling and boxing.
This is followed by archery and tennis.
Considering the recent performance of
the countrys shuttlers at international
tournaments, badminton appears to be a
promising sport for India as well.

While India has proved itself in shooting,


wrestling and boxing, it is important to
reflect upon the medal-winning potential
of these sports at the Olympic Games.
Assuming that an event can generate one
medal per country, it is estimated that
shooting, wrestling and boxing together
account for 46 medals (Refer Figure1.8).
Adding sports like weightlifting, archery,
badminton and tennis, Indias total
medal-winning potential translates into
77 medals.

Figure 1.8: Total events at the Olympic Games for select sports

Source: www.olympic.org accessed on 15 January 2014


Note: Aquatics includes Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming and Water Polo

Some of the leading sporting nations


of the world also won a significant
number of medals in just a few sports as indicated by an analysis of their
performance at Olympics 2012. More
than half of U.S.s 104 medals were won
in aquatics and athletics, which have
the highest medal-winning potential

(refer Figure 1.9). Similarly, Britain won a


majority of its medals in cycling, rowing
and athletics (refer Figure 1.9). Though
China seems to perform well in almost
every sport, it wins most of its medals
in aquatics, badminton, gymnastics,
shooting and weightlifting.

Business of Sports

Figure 1.9: Performance of the U.S., China and Great Britain at the London
Olympics 2012

Source: www.olympic.org accessed on 15 January, 2014

For India to achieve its sports objectives,


and to be considered one of the leading
sporting nations, it needs to build
further upon its strength areas as well
as work towards creating a talent pool in
medal-intensive sports such as aquatics,
athletics, cycling, gymnastics and
weightlifting.

Figure 1.10: Focus areas for Olympics

Source: Industry Discussions, KPMG Analysis

12

13

Business of Sports

2. Sports ecosystem

Business of Sports

A comprehensive sports ecosystem


ideally includes various dimensions
or segments that go into establishing
and developing a sport, and various
stakeholders in all these segments. The
evolution of a sports ecosystem may be
evaluated by the extent of interaction and
awareness among stakeholders within
and across various segments. Increased
transparency and professionalism in the
system, coupled with growing awareness
amongst all stakeholders, can result in
the creation of a better evolved sports
ecosystem of a country.

Some of the key identified segments


of the sports ecosystem are sports
governance; talent scouting and training
players and trainers; sports infrastructure,
sports equipment (industry);
sporting leagues and tournaments;
and performance incentives for
sportspersons.
These segments and key stakeholders in
the respective segments are identified
and represented below:

Figure 2.1 Sports ecosystem-Its segments and key stakeholders

Source: Olympic.org, World Bank, KPMG in India analysis

The following sections provide an overview of certain important segments of the sports
ecosystem, public and private initiatives and major challenges that hinder the growth of
sports in India.

14

15

Business of Sports

2.1

Sports governance in India

The sports governance structure in India


is well-defined. Broadly, it comprises of
the Government and autonomous bodies
established in compliance with the
Olympic charter.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
(MYAS), under the Government of
India, is responsible for administering
the Department of Sports. The Sports
Authority of India (SAI) is the field arm
of MYAS in the promotion of sports in
India through the implementation of
various schemes such as the National
Sports Talent Contest Scheme (NSTC),
SAI Training Centres Scheme (STC) and
Centres of Excellence (COX) scheme.
SAI also operates several regional
centres and sports institutes such as
the Netaji Subhash National Institute

of Sports Patiala and the Laxmibai


National Institute of Physical Education,
Thiruvananthapuram.1

and providing Indian sportspersons with


an adequate platform to showcase their
talents.

Government bodies under MYAS are


responsible for providing financial
assistance, training and infrastructure
support to autonomous bodies such as
the Indian Olympic Association (IOA),
various national sports federations (NSF)
(recognised by IOA and their respective
International Federations as per the
Olympic charter), sports federations that
operate under the aegis of recognised
NSFs and various State Olympic
Associations (SOA). In return of the
investment made by Government bodies,
NSFs, SOAs and IOA are responsible
for organising sports competitions,
holding international sporting events

IOA is the apex sports governing body


in India for Olympics sports and the
NSFs and SOAs report to it. It acts as
a link between the Government, NSFs
and SOAs for various sports, and is also
responsible for the promotion of the
Olympic spirit for various sports2. Various
sports associations at the state level are
in turn affiliated to their respective SOAs
and NSFs. A similar structure is in place
for non-Olympic sports as well, except for
the fact that respective NSFs are not part
of IOA. A broad governance structure is
depicted in Figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2: Governance structure for sports in India

Source: Comprehensive Sports Policy 2007, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, 2007; KPMG Analysis

1. Government of India, http://www.sportsauthorityofindia.nic.in,


accessed 15 January 2014
2. Indian Olympic Association, http://www.olympic.ind.in, accessed 15
January 2014

Business of Sports

Key issues
Despite a strong governance structure,
there are certain issues that hinder
effective sports governance in India:
There have been several incidents
of noncompliance by some national
sports federations and the IOA with
the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) Charter, which is essential to
guarantee Indian representation
at international sporting events.
In December 2012, the OA was
suspended by the IOC for its failure
to amend its constitution to bar
officials accused in some cases from
contesting the IOA elections3. The
IOA and several NSFs also have been
found defying IOC guidelines on age
and tenure parameters and are said
to have a non-transparent election
process.
Another major problem witnessed by
Indian sports is the tussle amongst
federations for recognition to be the
representative governing body. This
has an adverse effect on players
morale, as they find themselves in the
middle of the mud-slinging by warring

parties. The suspension of the Indian


Hockey Federation (IHF) on account of
poor team performance and corruption
charges by the IOA in 2008 and the
subsequent establishment of Hockey
India (HI) as the national federation for
hockey in India is still a matter under
sub judice4. Several hockey players
have found it difficult to select their
priorities with the IHF organising the
lucrative World Series Hockey event.
In fact, the Indian hockey teams
performance has degraded over the
years with India coming in last at the
2012 London Olympics. Similarly,
gymnastics5, a medal-intensive
sport, did not have a national sports
federation as of June 2013, with two
parties battling it out for affiliation as
the ultimate governing body for the
sport. This administrative in-fighting
is believed to have affected players
training sessions.
To resolve issues hampering effective
sports governance, the Government has
recognised the need for putting forward a
Sports Bill.
Figure 2.3: Salient features of the Draft Sports Development Bill 2013

Professionalism

Impose duties on the National Olympic Committee (NOC)


to function as a public authority under the RTI and submit
reports to the Parliament
Establish a Sports Election Commission to conduct
free and fair elections to NOC, NSFs and the Athletes
Commission
Introduce an Appellate Sports Tribunal with a selection
committee consisting of the Chief Justice of India,
Secretary of the Department of Sports and President of the
NOC to resolve NSF/NOC disputes
Bar charge-framed individuals to contest NOC/NSF
elections and bar individuals from holding the post of office
bearers of two NSFs simultaneously

Transparency

3. TNN, IOA-IOC impasse worries sports ministry,The Times of India, 29


October, 2013

Establish an Athletes Commission within six months in


each NOC/NSF
Fix the retirement age at 70 years and tenure limits in
compliance with the IOC Charter on the office bearers of
each NSF/NOC, besides a directive for the inclusion of at
least 25 per cent athletes in the executive body and the
involvement of the athletes (nominated by the Athletes
Commission) in the decision-making process of the
executive body of NSFs. The addition of a lower limit on
the per centage of athletes in the executive body goes
a step further than the IOCs efforts in ensuring athlete
participation in the IOA

4. TNN, Gill sacked, IHF dissolved,The Economic Times, 29 April 2008


5. A SAI-JSW Group initiative,The Hindu, 4 June 2013

Source: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=97118, KPMG Analysis

16

17

Business of Sports

Australia is one of the leading


sporting nations, as it is evident
from its performance at international
sporting events. Part of its success
can be attributed to the countrys
professional sports governance set up
that emphasises on separate teams
to maintain corporate relations and to
encourage community-level engagement
in sports. This supports the overall
functioning of various sports federations
and associations.

Case study: Sports governance structure in Australia


The Australian Sports Commission
(ASC) is a statutory authority within
the Australian Governments Regional
Australia, Local Government, Art
and Sport portfolio6. ASCs mission
is to encourage more Australians to

participate and excel in sports. Its


corporate structure was reorganised
in 2011 to fulfil duties required of it by
the Australian Government and the
Australian Sports Sector.

Figure 2.4 Australian Sports Commission Corporate Structure

Source: http://www.ausport.gov.au/about/structure accessed on 15 January, 2014

Australian Institute of Sport: It is


responsible for athlete preparation in
terms of coaches, sports science and
medicine, programme management,
competition opportunities and
providing the overall strategic
direction for high performance sports
in Australia.

6. What is the ASC, Australian Government, http://www.ausport.gov.au/


about/what_is_the_asc, accessed 15 January 2014

Participation and Sustainable


Sports: It supports the national
sports organisations (NSO) in

building the capability and capacity


of NSOs and in developing
comprehensive participation plans.
It is also responsible for developing
community sport through afterschool community programmes.
Corporate Operations: It provides
business capabilities and services to
support the ASC in delivering on its
strategic plan.

Business of Sports

The U.K. sports governance also lays


special emphasis on community sports
development. This is overseen by the
U.K. Sports Councils four national
organisations, which also showcases
an innovative way of funding sports
development at the grassroot level
through sports federations.

18

Case study: Sports governance in the United Kingdom


In the U.K., the Department for Culture,
Media and Sports (DCMS) is the apex
sporting body in the U.K. and it is
headed by the minister for sport and
tourism. The U.K. Sports Council (UKS),
which falls under DCMS, is responsible
for investing public funds in Olympic
and Paralympic sports, as well as in
community sports through its affiliates.
Majority of funds distributed by the
UKS come from the National Lottery
and the Exchequer (the Ministry of
Finance in the U.K.). UKS primarily
concentrates on high level performance
sports. It assesses the chances of
winning medals in each Olympic sport
and distributes funds accordingly. This
no compromise policy aims to utilise
public money only on those sports in
which the chances of winning medals
are high (i.e. the so-called World Class
Performance Programme). It should also
be noted that football, tennis and horse
racing do not receive any public funding.
UKS also manages and finances British

bids to host major sports events (Gold


Event Series programme).
Community sports are managed
through UKSs four national
organisations: these are Sport
England, Sport Scotland, Sport Wales
and Sport Northern Ireland. Apart
from UKS, they are also connected
to their respective home country
Governments (Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland). These bodies are
responsible for promoting community
sport and talent development. Their
main task is to encourage overall
participation in sport, but they are also
responsible for increasing the quantity
and improving the quality of community
sports facilities. A fundamental aspect
of the work carried out by them is
the investment of National Lottery
funds into sport federations; through
this channel they support elite and
grassroots sports alike. However,
Olympics-related elite sports funding
remains the sole responsibility of the
UKS.

19

Business of Sports

2.2

Talent scouting and training of players and trainers

A big, developing country such as India


requires a strong talent scouting and
training system for tapping and honing
potential sporting talent. The Government
and private sector have taken several
initiatives, but a country with a 1.2

billion-strong people is yet to produce


a significant number of medal winners.
This highlights the need for casting a
wider net of talent scouting and providing
quality training inorder to identify and
train more achievers.

2.2.1

Overview of initiatives in talent scouting and training

Role of governing bodies


While the central and state Governments
organise competitions at different levels
where talent scouts from respective
organisations search for sporting talent,
SAI is responsible for talent spotting at

the micro level. It has instituted several


schemes for sports promotion and
building the next generation of achievers
(refer Table 4: Features of SAI schemes).

Table 4: Features of SAI schemes

Schemes

National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC), Army Boys Sports


Company (ABSC), SAI Training Centres (STC), Special Area
Games (SAG), extension centres of STC/SAG and Centre of
Excellence(COX).

Age group

825 years.

Provisions

Selection
procedure of
trainees

Sports
covered

Adoption of schools and universities that have quality sports


infrastructure and are provided with funds for sports kits, a SAI
trainer/coach and exposure to competition
In many of these schemes, SAI trainees are also provided with
stipend, medical insurance, sports equipment and boarding/
lodging as per the norms.
Trainees are usually selected through competitions where an
eminent selection committee consisting of SAI coaches and
sports scientists spot talent for the respective scheme
National/state level winners are automatically admitted to these
schemes while district-level achievers are admitted after passing
some tests.

A wide range of sports are covered such as athletics, badminton,


basketball, hockey, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling and table
tennis.

Source: Annual Report 2012-13, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports-Government of India, 2013

Business of Sports

Following are some more schemes and


responsibilities that the SAI undertakes:
Come and play scheme - The scheme
is for the 817 year category and aims
at systematic talent spotting by the
coaches, at all SAI training centres
and stadia, by allowing young sports
enthusiasts to get coached at a cost of
INR45 per month.

20

Attempts to prepare sportspersons/


national teams for various international
sporting events at regional/subregional training centres in consultation
with the respective national sports
federations.
The Government also provides
funds for holding rural competitions
under the PYKKA scheme, where
~22 per cent of the total INR872
crore allocated to the PYKKA from
2008 to 2012 to achieve successful
organization of competitions7.
Role of the private sector private academies
Several sportspersons from various
disciplines such as cricket, tennis,
badminton and football have established
academies to train upcoming players.
Some of these academies are Britannia
Amritraj Academy, Bhupathi Tennis
Academy, Gopichand Badminton
Academy (GBA), Prakash Padukone
Badminton Academy (PPBA) and
Baichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS).

7. Annual Report 2012-13, Ministry of Youth Affairs and SportsGovernment of India, 2013

These academies are mostly managed


by players who have been successful at
the international level. Such academies
serve as important avenues for players to
transmit their knowledge to and share
their experience with budding players.
These experienced sportsmen also
understand the lacunae in the system.
As a result, these academies have been

able to produce some impressive results,


such as:
Tintu Luka who won a bronze medal at
the Asian Games 2010 is a product of
the Usha School of Athletics
Tennis players Leander Paes and Rohit
Rajpal have trained at the Britannia
Amritraj Academy
Saina Nehwal trained at GBA.
Though these academies play an
important role in nurturing sporting
talent in the country, some of them have
already delivered results and, many of
them are yet to become sustainable,
which is critical for their progress. A
review of successful academies globally
can help provide insights into the
economics of running profitable training
ventures.

21

Business of Sports

Case study: Manchester United Academy, U.K.


The Manchester United Football Academy is an example
of a successful private sports academy and its study
can provide information on owning and running private
academies. A vast majority of successful private football
academies are owned by prominent first or second division
football clubs.
Manchester United has a youth team development
programme. According to a research by Sporting
Intelligence, Manchester United is ranked fifth in the world
with 24 Manchester United Academy graduates playing in
the Big Five leagues England, France, Germany, Italy and
Spain.
Based on their historic performance, the Manchester
United youth team is the most successful team in English
football.
The Manchester United Academy was established in 1998
and the overall development cost of the complex was
approximately 8 million. It is located on a 70-acre site in
Carrington, which is shared with the first team. In 2002,
the complex was further expanded during the 8 million
club-financed development of the Academy Building, which
serves as the home for Manchester Uniteds youth teams.
The training complex comprises of 14 pitches and medical
and conferencing facilities. Since the opening of the facility,
there have been several minor renovations.
Manchester United has built various revenue streams such
as:
Revenue from sale of players: Over the years,
Manchester United has managed to generate revenue
by selling players who graduated from the youth
academy. In 2003, David Beckham became the most
expensive home-grown player when he was sold to
Real Madrid for 24.5 million.
Academy naming rights: To further capitalise on the
brand and reputation of the club, Manchester United,
in April 2013, agreed on an eight-year naming rights
agreement with Aon that resulted in the Trafford Training
Centre being renamed to Aon Training Complex. The
deal has been estimated to be worth around 120
million (15 million a year). As part of the deal, Aon
will advice Manchester United on talent development,
risk management, as well as on health and wellness
solutions.
Source: KPMG Analysis

Moreover, successful collaboration on financial and operational


fronts between a club and the public makes the AFC Ajax Youth
Academy in Amsterdam an interesting study.
Case study: AFC Ajax Youth Academy, Amsterdam, The
Netherlands
AFC Ajaxs Youth Academy is acknowledged as one of
the most advanced football youth academies in Europe,
consisting of 13 teams and 200 youth players between
the age of 7 and 19 years. The academy has made special
agreements with over 80 private and municipality schools
in the greater Amsterdam area from where students are
gathered by academy workers every day and sent to the
youth centre. In addition, the Ajax youth centre supports
their studies by giving complementary lessons and
homework, emphasising on the importance of education,
along with daily sport training.
Numerous players who attended the youth academy of
AFC Ajax went on to play in their respective national teams
and became famous; it has been estimated that over 80 per
cent of the academys young players become professional
football players. Graduates of the academy include Johan
Cruijff, Frank Rijkaard, Dennis Bergkamp and Wesley
Sneijder. To achieve superior results, the academy employs
70 scouts and numerous sport scientists.
The academys training centre (De Toekomst in Dutch or
The Future in English) was established in 1996 and includes
nine football fields spread over 14 hectares. The main field
of the centre is the Sportpark De Toekomst, which is the
stadium of the AFC Ajax Youth Academy, with a capacity of
5,000 seats. This is exclusively reserved for players in the
top training squad and serves as a goal for all attendees.
Sportpark De Toekomst is jointly owned by Stadion
Amsterdam N.V., a public-private holding company, and the
Government of Amsterdam.
Source: KPMG Analysis

Business of Sports

22

Role of the private sector CSR initiatives


Non-profit organisations such as the
Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) and the Mittal
Champions Trust (MCT) (a CSR initiative
by the Mittal group) have shown the way
to other corporate players in supporting
training requirements of athletes and
extending financial support to upcoming
athletes by raising funds from companies
and individuals8. Following are some
results of such initiatives:
MCT-backed shooter Abhinav Bindra
became the first Indian to win an
Olympic gold medal in an individual
event8.
MCT assisted wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt
in overcoming injuries. He went on to
win the bronze medal at the London
Olympics 20129.

8. Sanjiv Shankaran, Goutam Das and Anilesh Mahajan, Going for gold,
Business Today, 13 May 2012
9. Yogeshwar Dutt is a content man,The Hindu, 15 August 2012
10. Corporate Social Responsibility: A Case Study of TATA Group, IOSR
Journal of Business and Management, 2012, Volume 3, Issue 5, PP
17-27
11. Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, www.ppba.in, accessed 15
January 2014
12. IMG, http://img.com/services/strategic-initiatives/india---img-reliance.
aspx, accessed 15 January 2014
13. JSW, http://rosoftlimited.com/dev1/jsw/Foundation/sports.html,
accessed 15 January 2014

OGQ identified coach Briton Charles


Atkinson for Mary Koms training
when the Olympic 2012 organisers
discontinued the usual weight
category she contested in. With joint
efforts from the Government and
OGQ, she won an Olympic bronze
medal8.
Moreover, corporate houses such as
TATA have invested extensively in sports
as part of their CSR programme10. The
TATA group conducts a nationwide talent
search and selects players for further
training at its various academies like
TATA Archery Academy, TATA Athletics

Academy and TATA Football Academy. It


also sponsors PPBA. Some encouraging
results of TATAs CSR initiatives are:
Ashwini Ponnappa, a student of
PPBA, won gold and silver medals in
doubles and mixed badminton events,
respectively, at the CWG 2010.11
Sixty per cent of the national football
team players are cadets from the TATA
Football Academy12
Deepika Kumari, a cadet of the TATA
Archery Academy, won a gold medal in
one individual and one team event at
the Commonwealth Games 2010 and
a bronze medal at the Asian Games
2010. She is currently ranked World
no 2.
Similarly, the Jindal Steel Works (JSW)
foundation (Jindal group) has established
the second-largest squash academy13
in India at Vasind, Maharashtra, which
has produced many international- and
national-level players. Other examples
of corporate efforts in improving training
and talent spotting include industrialist KK
Birlas patronage8 of the Guru Hanuman
Akhara in Delhi, Punj Llyods investment
of INR30 million toward promoting
squash and providing training to talented
children, the IMG-Reliance partnership
with All India Football Federation (AIFF)13
to overhaul football at the grassroots and
professional level.

23

Business of Sports

Key issues
Limited reach of talent scout efforts:
Despite the Governments efforts in
scouting for talent at the grassroot
level, there were only 14,90014 SAI
trainees in 2012. It is estimated
that Indias population in the 825
year group (the age group that SAI
schemes cover) is ~43 crore, which
indicates that only ~ 0.0035 per cent
of Indias youth in this age group is
being trained under these schemes15.
This per centage appears low in
comparison to that of countries such
as Cuba (17 per cent)16. Therefore,
there is a need for more initiatives
and increased involvement of players
to develop a system that casts a
wider net of talent identification and
grooming.

Challenges faced by private players


while establishing academies varies
with the sport. However, some issues
common to all sports include:
Lack of sporting culture and
awareness on its importance

Lack of coaches and technical


know-how of sports in India
Scarcity of adequate spaces for
providing training in sports such as
football, athletics and tennis
The problem of inaccessibility for
private players to public stadia
and training infrastructure gets

Role of Stakeholders in training the trainers

Trainers and coaches are mostlty


responsible for nurturing talent. Sports
trainers include sports coaches,
physical education and fitness trainers,
physiotherapists, masseurs, nutritionists,
mental condition coaches and
psychologists.
It is important to create a pool of qualified
sports trainers and ensure that they
get training. According to survey of
U.S. Olympians from 1984 to 199817,
approximately 49 per cent Olympians
believed that being coached by qualified
trainers played an important role in their
success. It is essential to train coaches
because:

indiaspend.in, 9 August 2012


15. Census India, accessed 15 January 2014
16. Comprehensive Sports Policy 2007, Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports, 2007
17. The Value of Quality Trained Sports Coaches, Institute for Sports
Coaching, accessed 15 January 2014
18. Skill Gap Study for Sports, NSDC, 2012

CSR initiatives in India have largely


been restricted to supporting
established athletes, resulting in a
smaller talent pool.

Difficulty in sourcing funds since


sport has not yet been awarded an
industry status and is considered a
risky business

2.2.2

14. Sourjya Bhowmick, What does it cost to win an Olympic medal, www.

compounded by a requirement for


high capital expenditure

Coaches should be up-to-date with


the latest training methods and
techniques, to provide quality training
to their pupils, which would keep them
globally competitive

Coaches should be able to recognise


and assess the scale of injuries of
their athletes and plan their training
programmes for recovery in a
scientific manner
Moreover, coaches play an important
role in guiding athletes on using the
equipment safely and in employing
appropriate playing techniques that
can prevent injuries. They also help
sportspersons upgrade/modify
their playing style to suit different
tournaments and varied playing
conditions and multiple forms/
categories of the same game
The estimated demand for sports and
fitness coaches for India in 201213 is
1,34,188, while the demand for support
personnel in terms of track and field
experts, nutritionists, psychologists and
sports medicine experts is 1,96,13118.
The annual demand (required number
of coaches in a year) is 39,697 in terms
of the Governments vision for the next
decade18.

Business of Sports

24

Role of the Government in training trainers/coaches


SAIs National Coaching Scheme:
This scheme deploys coaches for
various operational schemes of the
SAI to state Governments/UTs, for
conducting bachelors/masters degree
diploma courses in various sports
disciplines and for coaching/training
at the Navodayas, Kendriya Vidyalayas
and various other universities. The
total sanctioned strength under this
scheme is about 1,524 coaches19.
PYKKA scheme by the MYAS for
building capability of Kridashrees
and Master Trainers19: A Kridashree is
a community coach who serves as a
sports trainer for the rural community
and a master trainer imparts coaching
skills. The aim of the PYKKA scheme

is to build two lakh community


coaches and 600 state officials as
master trainers, in 10 years, across
the country. Until now, 2,126 officials
have been trained to become master
trainers under this scheme, and these
master trainers are expected to train
20,000 Kridashrees a year in states/
UTs.

NS Southern Centre Bangalore and


NS Eastern Centre Kolkata. LNUPE,
Gwalior, is another major government
institute that offers sports courses.
These institutes offer diplomas, M.Sc.
degree and certificate courses in
sports coaching, refresher courses in
coaching and bachelors, masters and
PhD degrees in physical education.

Government sports institutes: Total


students enrolled in sports courses
at various government institutes for
2012 is 2,106 students. The institutes
managed by SAI include the Netaji
Subhash National Institute of Sports,
Patiala, and the Lakshmibai National
College of Physical Education (LNCPE)
Thiruvananthapuram, along with

A dearth of educational courses in


sports sciences has made MYAS
establish the National Institute of
Sports Science and Medicine (NISSM)
on priority in the Twelfth Five-Year
Plan, in line with similar facilities in
advanced countries to support the
development of high performance
sports.

Role of private bodies in training trainers


The Amity School for Physical
Education and Sports and the Bharati
Vidyapeeth University offer courses
in sports management, physical
education, nutrition, sports science
and coaching.
Key issues
Some issues identified in the
ecosystem for training the trainers
include:
Lack of awareness on
opportunities regarding sports
coaching courses. When
estimating the strength of
students enrolled for sports
courses in public and private
universities, India gets about 5,000
coaches annually from accredited
institutions this falls short of the
annual demand of approximately
37,000 coaches18. Despite efforts
by the Government, the uptake of
sports courses appears low. This
may be due to lack of awareness
on various schemes, courses and
demand for sports coaching.
The point above is further
highlighted by the fact that MYAS
reported shortage in the number
of coaches under the national

coaching scheme by SAI. There are


only 1,109 coaches out of the total
sanctioned strength of 1,524
resulting in 415 vacancies across
19 sports disciplines. Women
coaches constitute less than 16
per cent of the total strength of
coaches19.
Although, the PYKKA scheme
by MYAS for building capability
of Kridashrees and Master
Trainers aims to produce 20,000
Kridashrees every year. However,
the scheme has been able to
produce only about 28,500
Kridashrees since its inception in
2008 20.
Moreover, SAI organised a
refresher course in 2012 and
received only 92 applicants. Out
of the 48 selected, only 36 from
just five Indian states attended the
course19.
There ia dearth of specialised courses
in sports physiotherapy, nutrition and
psychology. Though they play a critical
role in facilitating holistic training
and development of athletes, sports
medicine and sports sciences are not
evolved enough in India.
19. Annual Report 2012-13, Ministry of Youth Affairs and SportsGovernment of India, 2013
20. Annual Report 2012-13, Ministry of Youth Affairs and SportsGovernment of India, 2013

25

Business of Sports

Case study: Emphasis on sports-related courses in the U.K. universities


More than 60 universities in the U.K.
offer courses in sport science. The
independent guidance and support
organisation SI-U.K. Education Council
states that sports science is constantly
developing and many major U.K.
universities and colleges offer several
courses in this field.
Besides sports sciences, several
universities in the country also offer
sports-related business studies. Based
on the ranking of the worldwide
best business school, published
by Eduniversal in 2012, four of the
best 50 universities providing sports
management studies Coventry
University, De Montfort University,
Loughborough University and Sheffield
Hallam University were based in the
U.K.
One of the renowned sport universities
in Europe Loughborough University
in Leicestershire offers a wide range
of sports-related studies in the field

Source: KPMG Analysis

of human biology, psychology, sports


and exercise science, and sports
management. There are currently
1,100 undergraduate students, 180
postgraduate students and 140 research
students at Loughborough.
With continuous investment in
buildings, teaching resources,
laboratories, equipment and access
to quality exercise facilities (e.g. the
newly established 10 million-worth
pioneering sports and exercise
medicine centre), the university, its
School of Sport and exercise and health
sciences department are considered to
be one of the best equipped institutions
providing a complete range of studying
opportunities related to sports.
It should also be noted that the
majority of universities in the U.K. are
funded by public sources (the tuition
fee paid by students constitute only a
small per centage of their financing).

Business of Sports

2.3

26

Sports infrastructure

In the context of this report, sports infrastructure includes sports stadia and fields.
It is important to assess the role of various stakeholders in providing the requisite
infrastructure for the development of sports in India.
Role of the Government
Besides building training centres and
academies, the Central Government and
SAI also builds and maintains stadia and
fields. As part of the Asian Games 1982
and the CWG 2010, India constructed
several stadia, facilities or infrastructure
developed for hosting international
games that would not only serve as a
legacy for the host countrys citizens
but would also provide opportunities for
urban development21.
The creation of legacy assets is usually
in line with the long-term sports and
development strategy of the host nation/
city. The Indian Government believed that
building quality athletics infrastructure,
showcasing Indias excellence in
international-level non-cricketing
competitions and motivating

a young population to pursue sports


professionally would be the lasting legacy
of hosting the CWG 201022. Some of the
key benefits of building such assets are:

It is important that legacy planning


is done in advance while hosting
international games, to monetise assets
for the following reasons:

Upgraded facilities can be used by


national sports organisations for highperformance training.

The large investment in infrastructure/


stadia development and renovation
is difficult to recover during the short
period of the games

Assets built in universities can be


used after the events by students
and local community members,
thereby enhancing community sports
participation. It generates demand for
an employee base trained in technical,
managerial and other games-related
aspects.
It facilitates restoration of surrounding
lands and promotes green urban
development.

To generate revenue after the sporting


events for positive economic impact,
as part of building a legacy of hosting
games and to develop sports and
surrounding communities.
Indias legacy planning for CWG 2010
assets was limited and, therefore, it
has not been able to generate sufficient
income so far. (Refer Table 5)

Table 5: Stadia managed by SAI on behalf of MYAS

Stadium name

Cost of
establishment/upgrading during CWG
2010

Means of revenue generation

Come and Play Scheme


Jawaharlal Nehru
Stadium

INR961 crore23

Rented out to Indias national


football team
Concerts

21. Factsheet Legacies of the Games, International Olympic


Committee,http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_
documents_Factsheets/Legacy.pdf, accessed 15 January 2014
22. The Delhi XIX Commonwealth Games website, http://d2010.thecgf.

Indira Gandhi
Stadium

INR240 crore24

Come and Play Scheme

Dr. SPM Swimming


Pool Complex

INR377 crore25

Come and Play Scheme

Dr. Karni Singh


Shooting Range

INR150 crore26

Come and Play Scheme

com/come_out_and_play, accessed 15 January 2014


23. Owen Benett, Is this the future for the Olympic Park?: Decaying
stadium three years after Games, Express (U.K.), 15 July 2013
24. Ravi Kumar Diwaker, Delhi gets a modern and green IG stadium, India
Today, 11 April 2010
25. Bhavna Vij-Aurora, The Con Games, India Today, 24 July 2010
26. Mohammad Amin-ul Islam, TNN, Revamped Dr Karni Singh shooting
range ready for action,Times of India, 1 Feb 2010

Major Dhyan
Chand National
Stadium

Come and Play Scheme

INR262 crore25

Rented out to Indias national


hockey team, Delhi Wizards and
Delhi Wave-riders

27

Business of Sports

Case study: The City of Manchester Stadium


The City of Manchester Stadium can
provide valuable insights into profitable
monetisation models for private
companies.
It was built to serve as the main
athletics stadium for the 2002
Commonwealth Games, hosted by
Manchester. The development cost of
the stadium was 110 million, which
was financed by public funds: 77
million was covered by lottery grants
while 33 million was paid by the
Council of Manchester.
After the event to avoid the stadium
from becoming a white elephant the
municipality reached an agreement
with Manchester City FC to convert
the venue into a football stadium
(the agreement included leasing
the stadium to the football club at
favourable rates). The football club paid
the redevelopment cost of 20 million
and the stadium reopened as a football
stadium in August 2003.

The rent paid to the council comes from


match day revenue, especially ticket
sales. However, no amount was due
if the attendance did not exceed the
32,000 capacity of the Citys previous
stadium (Maine Road), while half of the
ticket revenues above that level was
paid to the owner. This resulted in an
annual average rental fee of 2 million
between 2003 and 2011.
In 2011, Manchester City FC agreed to
sell the naming rights of the stadium to
Etihad for 350 million to be paid in 10
years. At the same time, the rent paid
to the council was raised by 2 million
and, therefore, since 2011 the club pays
an annual average rent of 4 million for
using the Etihad Stadium. As a result,
the club earns a net fee of 33 million
from the naming rights deal, though it
does not own the stadium.

Source: KPMG Analysis

Following are some schemes instituted


by the Government for infrastructure
development:
Scheme of assistance to Urban
Sports Infrastructure Development:
To improve the entire sports
ecosystem, the scheme of assistance
to Urban Sports Infrastructure
Development was introduced in
201011 to develop infrastructure
such as synthetic playing surfaces
and to address other important issues
such as player and coach training and
development. The scheme provides
financial assistance to schools/
colleges/universities/academies
for developing sports infrastructure,
which can potentially operate as
SAIs extension centres. The National
Playing Fields Association of India
and the state-level playing fields
association get assistance under this
scheme.

27. Annual Report 2012-13, Ministry of Youth Affairs and SportsGovernment of India, 2013

National Playing Fields Association


of India (NPFAI)27 : Through this
scheme established in February 2009,
MYAS aims to spread awareness on
fitness and encourage Indian children

to play sports by building more playing


fields and spaces in the country. MYAS
has instructed state Governments to
establish playing fields associations
at the state level as well, so that it can
sanction funds to these states for the
development of playing grounds and
parks.
PYKKA scheme: Established in
200809, the scheme aims to develop
sports infrastructure at the grass root
level throughout India by providing
assistance to its network of village
panchayats and blocks panchayats
in 10 years. It is estimated that the
scheme has covered only 22 per cent
of village panchayats in India in five
years since its inception.
The PYKKA scheme, instituted by the
MYAS, requires state Governments
to establish a PYKKA cell under their
respective Governments Department
of Sports to receive requisite financial
assistance from the Central Government.
Approximately 66 per cent of the
panchayats approved under the PYKKA
scheme have developed playfields in their
respective areas.

2014 KPMG, an Indian Registered Partnership and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (KPMG International), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved.

Business of Sports

Case study: Government initiatives to build sports infrastructure


- financing stadiums in the U.S.
Financing the development of stadia
can be challenging. Though funding
varies in each case, it is usually
obtained from a combination of private
and public sources, including equity
(cash injections, assets such as land
contribution, supply of equipments,
licenses and patents), debt and other
special arrangements.
Public authorities usually choose to be
involved in the development of stadia

for wider socio-economic reasons.


Public participation in financing stadium
developments includes various forms
of allowances (including tax allowances)
and grants provided by Governments,
local municipalities and other public
bodies. Authorities can also contribute
to financing through the provision
of land at favourable terms, building
access roads and upgrading adjacent
public infrastructure.

Alternative financing structures of stadium developments

The U.S. is certainly one of the countries


that provide a wide range of tools for
public contribution. Out of the 20 stadia
of National Football League (NFL) teams
launched in the last 15 years, 19 have
received public support (with the only
exception of the MetLife Stadium in

New York, which is quoted as being


funded from private sources). On an
average, 56 per cent of the overall
development cost of these stadia has
been derived from public sources (refer
to the table below).

2014 KPMG, an Indian Registered Partnership and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (KPMG International), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved.

28

29

Business of Sports

Funding NFL stadiums in the U.S.

Stadium

Year opened

Private
funding (%)

Public
funding (%)

San Francisco 49ers (planned)

2015

88

12

MetLife Stadium

2010

100

Cowboys Stadium

2009

63

37

Lucas Oil Stadium

2008

14

86

University of Phoenix Stadium

2006

32

68

Lincoln Financial Field

2003

64

36

Soldier Field (renovation)

2003

34

66

Lambeau Field (renovation)

2003

43

57

Gillette Stadium

2002

83

17

Ford Field

2002

75

25

Reliant Stadium

2002

39

61

CenturyLink Field

2002

35

65

Heinz Field

2001

39

61

Sports Aut. Field at Mile High

2001

28

72

Paul Brown Stadium

2000

94

LP Field

1999

29

71

Cleveland Browns Stadium

1999

26

74

M&T Bank Stadium

1998

10

90

Raymond James Stadium

1998

100

FedEx Field

1997

72

28

44

56

Average
Source: CSL

Public funding for the developments


of these stadia involved a wide range
of public contribution tools: different
types of taxes (among others, city
sales and county sales taxes, lodging
tax, excise tax, car rental tax, F&B tax,
property tax, income tax, utility tax
and parking tax), lottery funds/gaming
tax revenues, public parking revenues,

Source: KPMG Analysis

revenues from public property sale,


direct grants, land contribution, tax
rebates, operating subsidies, interestfree loans, capital fund allocation,
infrastructure development and utility/
transit allocation.
India can also explore similar methods
for financing sports infrastructure.

Business of Sports

30

Role of the corporate sector in infrastructure development


The involvement of companies in sports
infrastructure development in the country
is mainly in the form of public-private
partnerships (PPP). Some examples
of PPP for infrastructure development
include:
The Naya Raipur Development
Authority is building a sports city
in Naya Raipur, which would have
facilities like tennis, aquatic and an
indoor stadium along the PPP model28.
The private player is expected to

build the facility and hand it to the


authority. Some amount of this land is
earmarked for a residential complex,
which could cross-subsidise the sports
facilities.
Jindal Steel Works(JSW) has
collaborated with SAI as part of its
CSR initiative to oversee the upgrading
and maintenance of infrastructure at
SAIs regional training centre in Hisar.
The latter is expected to monitor the
training and selection of players.

Case study: Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, The Netherlands successful PPP


in building sports infrastructure
The Amsterdam Arena was opened in
1996 and was one of the first multi-use
stadiums in Europe, hosting concerts
and other non-sport events, besides
football (the venue is the home of AFC
Ajax) and other sports. The stadium
has a retractable roof and a capacity
of 52,000. It has 83 executive suites,
3,000 VIP seats and 2,500 indoor
parking spaces.
The overall development cost of the
stadium was around EUR127 million
(EUR2,440 per seat).

The city of Amsterdam identified


the opportunity of supporting the
development of Ajax FCs new stadium
as a potential catalyst for city activities
and urban commercial development
around the stadium. The municipality
also viewed the creation of new parking
spaces as a beneficial development for
Amsterdam. Moreover, the city received
the naming rights of the new stadium
in exchange for financial support, and it
was therefore named the Amsterdam
Arena.

The financing structure of the Amsterdam Arena development


Municipality of Amsterdam

26%

Government subsidy

4%

Equity financing (AFC Ajax)

7%

Debt financing (mortgage)

26%

Securitisation (seats and suites)

21%

Private sponsors

16%

TOTAL

EUR127 million

Source: KPMG Analysis

Pure private initiatives in sports


infrastructure development are less
common globally. One such example
is that of Juventus, where substantial
ticketing revenue potential became

the primary source of ROI for stadium


development, As further analysed in
section 2.6, thismay not be a feasible
alternative in the current Indian scenario.
28. Anuja Jaiswal, TNN, Rs 1,000cr townships to come up in Naya Raipur,
Times of India, 30 March 2013

31

Business of Sports

Case study: Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy


Examples of corporate players owning
sports infrastructure in India and in the
world are not common.
With a capacity of over 40,000, the
stadium has eight restaurants, 24 bars
and 459 press seats; it was inaugurated
in September 2011.
In the summer of 2003, Juventus
bought the Delle Alpi Stadium from the
Municipality of Turin for approximately
EUR25 million. In 2008, construction
started on the new stadium, which
is the first new stadium in Italy to be
privately owned by a football club. The
overall project cost was EUR120 million.
The financing of the new stadium
has a complex structure. About half
of the required funds were financed
from two loan agreements. Additional
financing was obtained from the sale of
a commercial centre to be developed
in coordination with the stadium.
Furthermore, Sportfive Italia S.r.l. signed
a long-term partnership with Juventus
involving regular payments to the club
in return for an exclusive right to sell the
stadium naming rights and a proportion
of the premium seating capacity. This
solution exemplifies how financing
can be linked to the future revenue
generating potential of a modern
stadium.
Source: KPMG Analysis

The Sportfive agreement also highlights


an interesting opportunity for stadium
financing. Football is a fluctuating
business, as the on-field performance
of teams varies over the years. However,
financiers need predictability in order
to opt for securitising future revenue
generation for financing purposes. If
a football club is able to sign a longterm contract with an agent for selling
premium seats, a significant per
centage of demand risk gets transferred
to the agent, allowing the club to show
more security in their future revenues.
The agent is able to spread the risk
of this multi-year contract across its
portfolio of similar contracts with
other clubs; hence, it is able to better
manage the inherent risk in a teams
sports performance. For clubs with
a significant fan base, this financing
solution seems to be gaining popularity.
Between 2008 and 2011, the annual
average match day revenue of Juventus
was EUR15.1 million. However, for the
first season played in the new Juventus
Stadium, the club managed to generate
EUR31.8 million of match day revenue,
more than double of the average of
the previous three seasons. Since
the opening of the new stadium, its
utilisation has been over 87 per cent in
each season.
Key Issues
Some key issues identified in sports
infrastructure development in the country
include:

Some states do not yet have


PYKKA cells at state, district and
block levels.

Insufficient legacy planning: Lack of


efficient and early legacy planning for
various games hosted by the country
result in limited monetisation of legacy
assets.

There is lack of involvement


and awareness among national
sports federations and state
sports associations regarding the
organisation of PYKKA games and
the participation of state players in
them.

Slow response of the State


Government to various central
schemes:
Many states have avoided
schemes such as the National
Playing Fields Association of India that demands states to establish
their respective playing fields
association - and PYKKA where
states like Punjab, Bihar, and Tamil
Nadu did not avail the full grant for
procuring and maintaining playing
fields.

Though the Government had a


vision of building infrastructure
under the PYKKA scheme
throughout the country in 10
years, only ~22 per cent of the
panchayats have been covered in
the five years since its inception.
Limited PPP in sports infrastructure
development.

Business of Sports

2.4

32

Sports Equipment and Apparel

The sports equipment market broadly


includes equipment for ball sports,
adventure sports fitness equipment, golf
equipment, racket sports, winter sports
and other sports like archery, billiards, etc.

The sports equipment market in India for


the financial year 2013 is~INR 40 Billion29
with cricket equipment holding the
highest market share.

Figure 2.5: Sport-wise market share

Source: India Sports Equipment Industry Outlook to FY2018, Ken Market Research, May 2013

Figure 2.5 highlights that the share of


popular sports like tennis, golf, boxing,
shooting, etc. in equipment market
is low. Ideally, popularity of any sport
should result in higher consumption in
the equipment market, which highlights
that the equipment of these sports may
be expensive for Indian consumers.
Difficulty in accessing expensive
equipment of these sports may be
resulting in low participation.
Though India is one of the leading sports
equipment exporters in Asia, it is limited
to certain sports only. Inflatable balls and
cricket bats are the top export items. The
Government has taken some initiatives
to boost manufacturing of sports goods /
equipment in India such as:
The Government of India allows
100% FDI in the sports manufacturing
sector in an effort to make India a hub
for manufacturing of sports goods,
since it is a labour-intensive industry
generating potential for employment.
The Government has created SEZs to
help manufacturers benefit from tax
incentives on export incomes.

The Foreign Trade Policy (20092014)


has also qualified the sports goods
sector as the priority sector for market
development assistance and market
access initiative. Further, benefits
under the Market Linked Focus
Product scheme and Export Promotion
Capital Goods Scheme are also
available for sports goods under the
Foreign Trade Policy.
Many state Governments also
encourage sports manufacturing.
For example, the Uttar Pradesh
Government allotted land for sports
goods manufacturing in Meerut.
India has the advantage of low cost
skilled manpower for producing quality
products attracting foreign sports
equipment manufacturers. to source
products from India with many Indian
companies operating as contract
manufacturers for multiple brands. This
has further led to:
i. Technological advancement of Indian
manufacturers due to knowledge
transfer from foreign retailers

ii. Increased recognition of India as a


base of high quality sports goods
manufacturing and as a significant
market for sports goods. This is
important for recognition of Indian
brands by federations so that
approved playing equipment is readily
available in India and need not be
sourced from abroad.
Sports retail in India is growing
rapidly with ~60% of the production30
consumed by the domestic market
itself. This can further provide impetus
to manufacturing of sports goods in
India. Retailing would go a long way in
promoting technological advancement
and increased product awareness
among both Indian manufacturers and
consumers which could in turn lead to
diversification in products demanded for,
and manufactured indigenously.

29. India Sports Equipment Industry Outlook to FY2018, Ken Market


Research, May 2013
30. Sports Retailing in India: Opportunities, Constraints and Way Forward,
INDIAN COUNCIL FOR RESEARCH ON INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC
RELATIONS, June 2010

33

Business of Sports

Key issues
Some of the key issues in the context of
this report are highlighted below.
Lack of equipment manufacture
for some sports: In India, equipment
produced for the domestic market is
predominantly for cricket, badminton,
hockey, etc. On the other hand,
equipment for shooting and archery is
scarcely available in India. Moreover,
it is required that equipment used
for national level and international
level games has to be from brands
that are recognised by international
federations. Accessibility to
inexpensive equipment is important
for enhancing sports participation
and ensuring quality training in line
with requirements laid down by
international federation. For example,
in case of hockey, internationally lightweight composite hockey sticks have
replaced wooden sticks. However,
lagging behind China in technology,
India does not have equivalent
competence and China produces
lighter more durable composite
hockey sticks. In fact, a significant
portion of fitness equipment is
mostly sourced from China. Sourcing
increases the cost of the equipment.
Difference in the import duty on
Government-sourced and privatelysourced training equipment: The
duty charged on the import of goods
such as sports footwear is ~ 28.85
per cent (generic rate) while the duty
charged on the import of sport goods
and equipment such as golf clubs
and archery equipment is 21.47 per

cent. However, specified sport goods


imported are exempted31 from duty if
imported by the specified Government
agencies for national/international
games and by eminent sportspersons
for training purposes with certificate
from the appropriate authority. Private
academies are not exempt from
import duties. Such inconsistent duty
structure is perhaps discouraging
private players from formulating
training programs for sports such
as archery and shooting which
suffer from a dearth of equipment
manufactured in India.
Restrictive policy on FDI in India:
Most international sports retailers
are multi-brand retailers. Though FDI
is not an entry ban due to presence
of multiple other routes, restrictive
policies, such as the above, make India
rank quite low in terms of per centage
of international retailers. FDI in multibrand retailing could help both the
sports retail and manufacturing sector
(which could benefit from increased
sourcing) to grow in India.
Lack of a unified representation for
sports equipment industry: Sports
goods exports and sports apparel
exports are promoted by separate
councils under the aegis of separate
ministries which is unique to India;
as in most other countries sports
exports are monitored by the same
organization/association. This often
prevents holistic development of the
sports products sector.

A golf driver of a
particular make is priced

~37%-90%

higher in India than in the


United States.

31. http://www.cbec.gov.in/customs/cs-act/notifications/notfns-before2k/
cs146-94.htm, accessed 15 January 2014

Business of Sports

2.5

34

Leagues and tournaments

Globally, the leagues system has served


as an important way for companies
to enter the sports sector. A sports
league creates several opportunities
for private companies in domains such
as league management, franchisee,
broadcasting, advertising, infrastructure,
player management, licensing and
merchandising.

US alone is home to some of the biggest


leagues in the world such as the National
Football League (NFL), Major League
Basketball (MLB), National Basketball
Association (NBA) and National Hockey
League (NHL), setting an example for
ways of monetizing sports.

Figure 2.6: Revenue comparison of various international leagues (in billions of


USD for 2012)

Source: Plunkett Research, Annual Report of BCCI

Indias most successful league in terms


of viewership and revenues has been
the Indian Premier League (IPL), which
is based on the English Premier League
(EPL) format. The league was launched
in 2008 by the BCCI with eight city
franchisees. Though it is still small in
comparison to some of the biggest
leagues of the world (refer Figure 2.6),
it has been able to achieve success in a
short span of time, which other mature
leagues could not manage to do. The
evolution of IPL as a brand is an example
of successful product innovation, which
effectively combined entertainment and
sports. The Twenty20 (T20) format of
IPL has made the sport more popular
and convenient to watch for cricket
enthusiasts. Moreover, IPL has not only
brought male audiences to prime time TV
viewership, but has also attracted female
audiences and children. It has managed
to attract a majority of the top players
in the sport and has also extended its

presence to places outside of its country


of origin. IPL has become a highly
profitable property for BCCI and it has
also been able to maintain high TV ratings
(TVR) since its inception (refer Figure 2.7).
Figure 2.7: IPL profitability (INR crore) and TV ratings

Source: Gaurav Laghate, IPLs TV ratings on sticky wicket but advertisers unfased, Business Standard, 18 May
2013

35

Business of Sports

For any league, media rights, sponsorships and revenue from franchises constitute
major sources of revenue (refer Figure 2.8).
Figure 2.8: Major sources of revenues for a league

Media Rights

Sponsorships

TV broadcasting rights

Title sponsors

Revenue from
franchisees

Franchisee fees
Ground sponsors

Theatrical rights
Umpire sponsors

Share of gate revenues

Internet rights
Official drinks sponsors
Marketing support

Blimp sponsorship

Share of local
revenues

Source: KPMG in India Analysis

For IPL, the biggest source of revenue is media rights. In 2009, BCCI struck a nine-yearlong broadcast deal for INR 8,200 crore32.
Figure 2.9: Break up of IPL revenue (201011)

32. IPL signs 9-year broadcast deal with Sony for Rs. 8,200 cr,The
Economic Times, 15 March 2009

Source: BCCI Treasurer Report, 2010-11

Business of Sports

36

yet to achieve the scale and profitability of


IPL, which is highlighted by the fact that
despite being older than IPL, the I-league
has struggled to find sponsors and
broadcasters since its inception33.

IPLs success has inspired the creation


of national and state level leagues in
other sports such as hockey, football,
golf, badminton, American football and
volleyball. However, these leagues are

Table 6: A summary of various sporting leagues in India

Name

Indian
Premier
League

World Series
Hockey

Hockey India
League

Golf Premier
League

I-League

Indian
Badminton
League

Sport

Cricket

Hockey

Hockey

Golf

Football

Badminton

Promoters /
founders

BCCI

Nimbus Sports
& IHF

Hockey India

Shiv Kapur &


Neeraj Sareen

AIFF

BAI, Sporty
Solutionz

No. of
franchisees

14

Team
composition

Max. 27
players, Min.
16, Max. 9
foreign players
in squad and
max. 4 in
playing eleven,
min. 14 Indian
players in each
squad

25 registered
players out of
which 18 can
play

24 players (10
foreign &14
Indian)

4 (1
international, 1
Indian, 1 from
Asian tour and
1 from golf tour
of India

Allowed to
register 4
foreign players
but can field a
maximum of 3

Max. 11 and
min. 10 players
including a
junior player
and four
foreign players

No. of
seasons

No. of
matches

75

59

34

182

16

Time period

Apr. to May

Jan. to Feb.

Dec. to Jan.

Feb.

Oct. to May

Aug.

Total prize
money

USD 4.2 mn

USD 1.3 mn

USD 0.75 mn

USD 0.35 mn

USD 0.11 mn

USD 0.9 mn

Franchisee fee
(p.a.)

USD 614 mn

USD 1.72.5
mn

USD0.6 mn

Source: http://www.iplt20.com/, http://league.hockeyindia.org/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Series_Hockey, http://i-league.org/, http://www.indianbadmintonleague.co/


Primary discussions, KPMG in India Analysis

33. Binoy Prabhakar,I-league struggling to find sponsors; IMG-Reliance


facing difficulties in promoting football, Economic Times, 4 November
2012

37

Business of Sports

The commercial viability of any league


in India is governed by certain critical
success factors, such as:
Players: Involvement of the top
players of the world creates interest
among viewers and improves the
quality of the game. IPL and IBL are
some successful examples. On the
other hand, I-League is struggling to
attract top players, resulting in poor
viewership.
Marketing: An effective marketing
campaign is another critical factor in
increasing a leagues popularity. Again,
involvement of various celebrities
as brand ambassadors or owners
in IPL contributed to increased
viewer interest in the league. In
fact, the collaboration of the Indian
entertainment industry and cricket has
aided in making the IPL a commercial
success.

Governance framework: It has been


witnessed that leagues that with
support from the approved federation
have been able to sustain. ICL failed
due to lack of support from the BCCI,
and WSH is facing similar troubles due
to the non-recognition of the founding
federation as the official national
sports federation of hockey.
Stadium infrastructure: Quality of
stadium infrastructure contributes
to the viewing experience, which
increases the level of interest in
sports. This, in turn, leads to an
increase in the value of media rights.
Fan base: An effective strategy to
increase a franchise fan base is the
engagement of respective franchisees
with the local community. This helps
generate greater TV viewership,
increases attendance in matches and
sale of merchandise.

Performance of national team or


players at the international level
increases interest in the game and,
consequently, the league.
League timing: The tournament
should be held at a time when:
No international tournament is
being organised simultaneously
that can divert a significant section
of the viewers
Maximum players are available
The weather is suitable for holding
matches.
The length of games and timing of
matches are also some other important
factors, as gathered from the IPL
experience.

Business of Sports

38

Case study: The launch of the Japanese J-League


Japanese football was in disarray
until the late 1980s and in need of
reform: the quality of play was low
and low attendance figures confirmed
peoples disinterest in the sport. A
series of re-organisational actions
resulted in the launch of the Japanese
J-League. The founders (the Japanese
Football Association) in 1991 had three
significant primary goals in mind:
Improve the quality of the game;
Develop a sporting culture;
Earn international recognition.
The J-League was incorporated as an
autonomous, non-profit organisation,
unlike the English Premier League, in
1992, as a limited company. However,
it is different from European football
in the sense that its management is
centralised, which implies that the
J-League not the clubs makes
decisions concerning sponsorships and
licenses for the league. The goal was
to create equal financing opportunities
for every club (it was doubtful whether
each club would be able to survive on
its own from the beginning, because
of low interest in football). The fact that
all teams are highly competitive further
enhanced the leagues popularity.
Currently, there are 36 corporate
sponsors of the league and, by
extension, of the clubs. This number
includes large multinational companies.
They usually compete with each other
to acquire the status of teams preferred
supplier for different services. There
are, however, no public funds used in
professional football.
The biggest challenge the founders
faced was the lack of an established
base of football in Japan. Sumo and
baseball were far superior; only a
few children took up football as their
sport. Naturally, the limited number
of players lowered football standards
in the country. However, to turn this
around, J-League clubs were required
to go beyond being football teams and
serve as community centres. Modelled
after the German professional clubs,

Japanese teams are comprehensive


sport clubs that provide entertainment
to people of all age groups. They are also
tasked with promoting sports in their
region and with encouraging people to
participate in local sporting initiatives.
To further increase public support,
the teams tried to connect with their
respective local communities. First
of all, every participating club was
renamed after its home city. Since the
base city of a team cannot be changed,
the naming process helped in creating
a mutual commitment between a club
and the locals. Every club is required to
operate teams at various levels, such as
under 18, under 15 and under 12. This
motivates and creates opportunities
for children to play football.
Several other initiatives were taken
to make the sport more spectatorfriendly and exciting for the Japanese
consumers. The first official season
(1993) started with 10 clubs (later it
was expanded to 18 teams). The league
adopted a two-stage season system
where the winners of each stage played
a final play-off at the end of the season
to determine the champion. Moreover,
matches could not end in a tie after
90 minutes. In case of levelled scores
after the time limit, a 30-minute extra
time game commenced, followed by
a penalty shoot-out (if required). The
system reverted to classic rules in 1999
with a one-stage league format and the
possibility of ties. There are plans to
revive the two-stage format in 2015.
To improve the quality of the game and
increase attendance, the J-League
invited foreign football stars to the
teams. Among others, Gary Lineker,
Dunga, Jorginho, Patrick MBoma and
Dragan Stojkovic arrived in the early
years for wages reportedly as high as
JPY300 million (USD 3 million) a year.
Numerous foreign coaches were also
employed, such as Arsene Wenger
(the current manager of the EPL team
Arsenal). The J-Leagues embracing
of the European best practices and
systems helped it quickly improve the
quality of the games. However, their

Source: http://www.j-league.or.jp/eng/, KPMG in India Analysis

reliance on big names was shortlived once domestic players started


establishing themselves. Today, the
earlier trend seems to have reversed
with Japanese footballers playing
for major European teams (Shinji
Kagawa for Manchester United and
Yuto Nagatomo at Inter Milan are a few
examples).
Building fan bases and creating a
culture of football were also important.
The J-League aimed at reaching out to
people with diverse backgrounds and
interests. Hooliganism was kept at bay
to ensure people can enjoy the games
with their families. Singing and chanting
during the games was encouraged
to create a good atmosphere. The
league contracted a leading global
creative agency to rebrand the teams
and enhance their appeal among
fans. Mascots and logos became an
integral part of teams identity, further
reinforcing the bond between fans and
clubs. Bright and eye-catching kits with
high recall value were also introduced.
Like major American sports, significant
focus was given on developing a variety
of merchandise.
The launch of the J-League proved
to be a commercial and sporting
success. Well-planned commercial
and merchandising activities, which
leveraged communal and regional
pride, resulted in the creation of a
strong fan base. Interest in the sport
rose steadily with average attendance
reaching as high as 18,000 per game.
Football gradually became one of the
most popular sports in Japan, since
the J-League provides the country
with a domestic alternative to the
English Premier League, which usually
overshadows domestic football.
Moreover, it also helps Japanese players
in showcasing their talent and rising
to the top without being forced to play
for other countries clubs. Thanks to
the J-League, participation in football
boomed in the country and currently
about 5 million people are estimated
to play professionally or at the amateur
level.

39

Business of Sports

Realising the potential of the sports


sector from commercial and marketing
perspectives, several leading companies
and business groups have invested in the
franchisees of various sporting leagues.

A share of the central revenues of the


league, local revenues and performance
revenues constitute major revenue
sources of a league franchise.

Figure 2.10: Major revenue sources for a franchise in leagues

Source: KPMG in India Analysis

Share of Central Revenue: This


includes a per centage of the revenue
to the league from media rights and
central sponsors. In India, media rights
serve as a major revenue source for
the league as well as franchises, since
other revenue streams are not strong.
This can be gauged from the fact that
media rights constitute ~70% of the
total revenue of an IPL team34.
Local Revenue: Local revenue for
a franchise stands for revenue from
match day ticket sales (gate revenue)

and commercial revenue includes


funds from franchise sponsors,
merchandise sales and revenue
generated from membership with
the franchise club. Revenue from
franchise sponsors constitutes the
majority of the commercial revenue.
A franchisee is unable to generate
significant revenue from licensing
and merchandising, since sports
licensing is still in a nascent stage and
plagued by multiple challenges such as
rampant counterfeiting, low fan affinity,
low popularity and development of

team sports, cost and quality issues


and lack of an active sporting culture.
Even an IPL team generates only
about INR 2025 million from 45
licensees, which constitutes a minor
per centage of their total revenue.35
The contribution of gate revenue to the
overall revenue of franchises is low due
to inexpensive ticket pricing, especially
in non-cricketing leagues. This is in
contrast to the leagues abroad where
gate revenues contribute significantly to
a franchises revenue.

Table 7: IPL/I-League
IPL

I-League

IPL teams generate INR1030 million per match


depending on occupancy and ticket prices

Average occupancy of I-league


matches is 500 people36

IPL ticket prices range from ~INR50020,000

I-league ticket prices range from


~INR 30300

IPL teams are generating 1015 per cent of their


revenues from gate receipts.
Source: Industry discussions & KPMG in India Analysis

Performance Revenue: This is the


performance-linked revenue source for
franchises.
Returns on investments made by the
franchise owners would have long
gestation periods as understood

from international case studies.


However, association with sports
has significant other benefits in the
form of increased brand recognition,
connect with the target segment, and
increased sales in the core business
of franchise owners.

34. Khushboo Narayan, Profits still elude some IPL teams, www.livemint.
com, 2 April 2013
35. Industry Discussions, KPMG in India Analysis
36. Binoy Prabhakar. I-league struggling to find sponsors; IMG-Reliance
facing difficulties in promoting football, Economic Times, 4 November
2012

Business of Sports

40

41

Business of Sports

Ways of monetising sporting assets/leagues


Re-packaging existing sporting
competitions like the Ranji Trophy
and I-League to capture audience
interest. This could be achieved
through timings conducive to family
viewing, both on television and
in-stadium, suitable ticket pricing
structure with special offers for family
tickets and student tickets to drive
audience, refurbishment of stadia,
better viewing angles, spectator
friendly game formats, broadcasting
in both Hindi and English, strong
marketing involving celebrities/local

heroes as brand ambassadors of


various teams and engaging with
schools and colleges by organising
nationwide tournament- specific
quiz competitions, for instance,
a Ranji Quiz, and sponsoring other
nationwide inter-school/college
competitions.
Apart from re-packaging the
tournaments themselves, it is
important to create supporting
infrastructure like restaurants, bars,
fast-food chains, merchandise

stores, book and music stores, etc.


in existing stadia, to transform instadium sport viewing into a family
exercise, and so that they could
serve as a popular entertainment
spot for non-traditional sports fans as
well. A hike in ticket prices could be
considered consequent to a rise in
in-stadium viewership. The existing
stadia may also be monetised by
organising multiple sporting events
and entertainment shows, wherever
possible.

Case Study: Verizon Centre, Washington DC, USA


The Verizon Centre is a multi-purpose
sports and entertainment venue with
a seating capacity of 20,00037 seats
and is home to the NBAs Washington
Wizards, the NHLs Washington Capitals,
the WNBAs Washington Mystics, and
the NCAAs Georgetown Hoyas mens
basketball team.
The Verizon Centre is the result of a
USD 7 Billion38 redevelopment plan,
that was launched 17 years ago by
sports entrepreneur Abe Pollin, who
envisioned a new sports arena in
downtown Washington as opposed to
the older U.S. Airways Arena that he
operated, which was too difficult to get
tosince it was situated in the suburbs
of Washington DC, and also out of date.
The Verizon Center boasts of 100 plus39
luxury suites, a high-definition centerhung scoreboard, an indoor basketball
practice facility and 10 dressing rooms.
This is supplemented by a variety of
concession stands and restaurants.
The arena also houses various sports
bars and grills, clubs, the Volkswagen
Theatre, a fitness centre and a salon.
Since its inception, the arena has
hosted high profile sporting events like
the 1998 Stanley Cup Final, the NBA
(2001) and WNBA (2002, 2007) All-Star
games, and the 2003 World Figure
Skating Championship, besides being
the venue for numerous family shows
and concerts. The stadium has served

host to more than 36.5 million people


who have attended the 3000 plus40
events organised at the venue.
Supporting funds during the
development of the arena came from
the arena naming rights deal that were
sold to Washington based MCI Inc. for
USD 44 million,41 over 20 years, and the
arena was subsequently named the MCI
Centre (after Verizon Communications
took over MCI, the arena was renamed
the Verizon Centre), multiyear deals with
corporate sponsors and the sale of the
arena luxury suites that were priced
USD 100,000-USD 17500042 in 1997.
The Verizon Centre is considered a
commercial success and following Abe
Pollins death, the stadium was sold to
Ted Leonsis (owner of Verizon Centres
tenant Washington Capitals professional
football team) who subsequently
established a new management
company-Monumental Sports and
Entertainment that stands as the
current owner of the Verizon Centre.
Other benefits:
The Verizon Centre has revitalised
the surrounding neighbourhood in
downtown Washington DC, with the
opening of numerous restaurants, bars
and other businesses.

37. The Verizon Center Official Website, http://verizoncenter.


monumentalnetwork.com/about-verizon-center, accessed 15
January2014
38. The Verizon Center Official Website, http://verizoncenter.
monumentalnetwork.com/about-verizon-center, accessed 15
January2014
39. The Verizon Center Official Website, http://verizoncenter.
monumentalnetwork.com/about-verizon-center, accessed 15
January2014
40. The Verizon Center Official Website, http://verizoncenter.
monumentalnetwork.com/about-verizon-center, accessed 15
January2014

Sponsors should drive more fan club


activities and promotional campaigns.
Sponsorship in sports not only results

in incremental sales but can also have


significant intangible RoI associated
with it.

41. http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2011/09/19/InDepth/Naming-rights-deals.aspx, accessed on 15 January 2014


42. Thomas Heath and David Montgomery, Pollin: With Opening of MCI
Center,Ive Got Everything Ive Ever Done in My Life on the Line,
Washington Post, 30 November 1997

Business of Sports

42

Figure 2.11: Sponsorship in sports

Incremental sales
Tangible RoI

E.g. Sponsorship of the Olympics, European Championships


and Champions league helped Adidas boost sales by 15% (1).

Greater brand
recognition

High sports viewership and mass popularity provide a potent


marketing lever to various brands of reaching out to consumers
and increasing their brand recall

Connect with the


target segment

Heavy marketing investment in sports by brands and firms with


a strong youth connect. E.g., aerated drinks, snacks, mobile
services, etc.

Building brand
loyalty through
community
engagement

E.g. Tournaments and sports programs organised by companies


in geographies where their operations/ manufacturing units
are located. Sports are seen as a lever to enable community
connect and mobilization.

Sponsorship
in sports

Intangible RoI

Source: KPMG in India Analysis, (1) http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390444320704577564222724263842

Case Study: P&G Thank You Mom Campaign


P&G that signed on to become a global
Olympic sponsor for 10 years chose
to use the platform of the Olympics
to connect with its target audience
moms all around the world. The Thank
You Mom ad campaign was aimed at
increasing brand loyalty among key
customers who use P&G products
most, i.e. women of age 18+ and
moms, by bringing across the message
that behind every Olympian, there is an
equally awesome mom who deserves
to be thanked. The campaign thanks
moms of not just Olympians, but moms
all around the world who work hard to
raise their children. The ad campaign
therefore, helped P&G to connect
emotionally with target customers
(moms) by showcasing that P&G
understands what it takes to be a mom.
P&G is also an example of a nontraditional sponsor that identified the
opportunity that a competition like
the Olympics presents, to attain its
marketing objectives.

Benefits from the Thank You Mom


campaign:
Sponsorship of the U.S. team at the
2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics
delivered USD 100 million43 in
incremental sales
Sponsorship of the 2012 London
Olympics has resulted in incremental
sales of USD 500 million44 or more
Increased brand loyalty with a 5-10%
increase in sales and market share of
participating P&G brands
Increased brand awareness of P&G.
For instance, awareness of P&G in
Russia increased from 0% to 15%,
with 75% linkage to P&G brands45
P&G Thank You Mom ad campaign
garnered more than 75million
YouTube views46

43. http://prsany.org/downloads/BigAppleAwards2013/p_g_builds_consumer_loyalty_during_london_2012_olympics__marina_maher_communications.pdf,
accessed on 15 January 2014
44. http://thearf.org/images/uploads/documents/2013_Ogilvy-Awards_Case-Study_Procter-Gamble.pdf, accessed on 15 January 2014
45. http://prsany.org/downloads/BigAppleAwards2013/p_g_builds_consumer_loyalty_during_london_2012_olympics__marina_maher_communications.pdf,
accessed on 15 January 2014
46. http://prsany.org/downloads/BigAppleAwards2013/p_g_builds_consumer_loyalty_during_london_2012_olympics__marina_maher_communications.pdf,
accessed on 15 January 2014

43

Business of Sports

Sponsors in sports can also be classified


as traditional sponsors and non-traditional
sponsors. Traditional sponsors come
from business categories/ sectors that
have a direct linkage with sports in terms

of their product positioning and have


high proportion of youth in their target
segment. Non-traditional sponsors belong
to sectors that may not have a direct
linkage with retail consumers.

Figure 2.12: Sponsors in sports


Sponsors in sports

Traditional sponsors

Non-traditional sponsors

E.g., Aerated drinks and food


product makers, alcohol
companies, mobile service
providers, airlines, etc.

Real estate companies, Personal


care/household products
manufactures, Infrastructure
development firms, heavy
engineering companies, etc.

Association with sports provides a


strong marketing platform to businesses.
Companies from sectors that have
typically not associated with sports,
such as real estate, household products,

infrastructure, etc. have also forayed into


sports sponsorship due to the visibility
it provides and high potential RoI, both
tangible and intangible

Key issues
Lack of transparency in the
governance of leagues: There have
been instances of controversies
around conflict of interests. For
instance, being a franchise and a
league owner at the same time;
controversial auctioning of players
and spot-fixing. Such incidents have
raised questions on professional
governance and transparency in these
leagues. They also tend to result in
loss of faith among league sponsors

and can dissuade potential corporate


investment.
League monetisation: Non-cricketing
leagues, such as the I-league, has
found it tough to become profitable.
Limited engagement of franchisees
with the local community: This could
have resulted in limited viewership
and failure to generate interest in the
game.

Business of Sports

2.6

Sports as a career opportunities and performance incentives

Incentives to encourage people to pursue sports professionally


There are various incentives for youngsters to pursue a career in sports, which can be
broadly categorised, as shown in Figure 2.11: Incentives to encourage people to pursue
a career in sports.
Figure 2.11: Incentives to encourage people to pursue a career in sports

Incentives

Examples

Incentives
by the
Government
and PSUs

Jobs,
pension
funds,
performance-based
promotions

Source: KPMG in India Analysis

Financial
assistance
for
education

Scholarships
by UGC
based on
performance

Monetary
gains through
other sources

Sponsorship
deals and
product
endorsements

Cash rewards
by the central
and state
Governments

Alternative
careers

Cash and
land awards
to Olympic
medal
winners

Coaching,
sports
management/
marketing,
sports
psychology,
sports
education,
sports
journalists,
analysts,
commentators

44

45

Business of Sports

Role of the Government in providing incentives and creating a safety net for players
Government initiatives for the creation
of a safety net for players include the
following:
Sports quota in Government jobs
and public sector undertakings
(PSUs): According to rules established
by the Government of India 47.
Meritorious sportspersons
who have represented
organizations/states/the country
at international, national, state
or university-level games or
national games for schools
with requisite qualifications are
eligible for recruitment under
the sports quota in various
Government departments or PSUs,
withstanding total candidates
through reservation do not exceed
50 per cent.
Recruitment of sportspersons
against the sports quota is done
for Group C and D posts and
cannot be done for Group A and B
posts under direct (no qualifying
examination) recruitment.
To motivate players to continue
performing well, the Government
has decided to provide sports-

persons winning a medal(s), at


international competitions, an outof-turn promotion, with a maximum
of three such promotions.
Similarly, state Governments also
have the provision of sports quota in
Government jobs:
Various state Governments provide
about 2 per cent sports quota in
Government jobs48 49. Haryana,
which provides 3 per cent sports
quota, is an example of a state
that boasts of a well-established
incentives structure49.
Moreover, the sports ministry recently
announced direct recruitment of all
Olympic participants as SAI coaches,
equivalent to Group B officers50.
Performance-based financial
assistance for education under the
sports quota: Elite sportspersons
who are medal winners at national
games or participants of recognised
international games/championships
are provided with financial assistance
by the University Grants Commission
(UGC) for undergraduate and graduate
university courses51.

Scheme of pension to meritorious


persons: This scheme allows
monthly pensions to medal winners
at the Olympic Games, Asian Games,
Commonwealth Games, World
Championships and Para-Olympic
Games in the range of INR 3,000
10,000, when they turn 30, or later if
their sports career is active52. However,
there is no central pension scheme for
medal winners at the National Games.
Since sports is a state subject, some
states like Gujarat have launched
pension schemes for people who have
participated in national-level games as
well53.
National Welfare Fund for
Sportspersons 54: This fund provides
financial assistance to former
sportspersons living in indigent
conditions, to players for medical
treatments and the former players
who are now disabled. It also provides
financial assistance to budding
sportspersons in need.
The Indian Parliament recently discussed
the possibility of formulating a policy on
pensions for former sportspersons who
have been successful in national-level
games55.

Role of the private sector


The Indian sports sector is at a stage
where it requires thrust from both
Government and the private sector for
realization of its true potential. Some of
the ways in which the private sector is
helping provide performance incentives
and career opportunities to sports
persons in the country are as follows:
47. Government of India,http://ccis.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/
D02est/14034_01_2013-Estt.D-03102013.pdf, accessed on 15 January
2014
48. Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh-Draft Sports Policy 2012, Sports
Authority of Andhra Pradesh, accessed on 15 January 2014
49. Virendra Singh Rawat,UP sportsmen demand 2% job quota, Business
Standard, 11 December 2012
50. Sports Policy of Haryana , 2009
51. PTI, Ministry offers coaching jobs to Olympians current and former,
The Times of India, 27 July 2012
52. Guidelines for providing free education for sports medal winners/
participants of national/international events-During the XII plan ,
University Grants Commission, accessed on 15 January 2014
53. Pension to Sports Persons, MYAS(Government of India), accessed on
15 January 2014
54. TNN,Gujarat govt launches pension scheme for veteran sportspersons,
The Times of India, 4 July 2013
55. Tushar Tere (TNN), Pension scheme for ex-sportspersons in the offing,
The Times of India, 25 August 2013

Sports consulting firms: Sports


consulting primarily includes
consulting for sports clubs,
player management and player
representation. The latter two help
players make choices and connect
them with appropriate resources
suited to their career requirements
and post-retirement plans. However,
increasing such practices could only
be possible with the advent of leagues
for sports and the implementation
of a proper framework on player
management practice by respective
national/international federations.

Non-profit organisations
supporting athlete development:
Presence of organisations such as
OGQ and Mittal Champions Trust,
which raise funds from corporate
players and individuals to support
training requirements of athletes, is
motivating. Such companies could
increase the chances of winning
medals and, thereby, monetary
rewards on winning in international
games.

Business of Sports

46

Case study: Ways to attract and incentivise sportspersons to pursue a career in sports the U.K.
There are two major channels of public
funding for professional athletes in the
U.K.: the World Class Pathway (WCP)
programme and the Athlete Personal
Award (APA).

Development: athletes whose


performances suggest they can be
competitive. These athletes usually
do not spend more than 34 years at
this funding level.

The former, initiated by the U.K. Sport in


1997, aims to support athletes who are
genuinely interested in winning at the
Olympics. Each funding cycle lasts for
four years, starting after the Summer
Olympics year. Money from WCP is first
transferred to sports governing bodies
so that it reaches athletes indirectly.

Talent: targeted at athletes who


have the potential to progress
through the World Class Pathway
programme. This is a kind of R&D
investment at the youth level.

There are three different types of


funding within the WCP programme:
Podium: athletes with the most
realistic winning capabilities at the
next Olympic Games (duration:
maximum four years)

The number of podium and


development grants awarded to each
sport depends on recent performances
and demonstrable future potential.
The other notable channel, APA, is
paid directly to the athletes. It serves
as a contribution toward personal
living and sporting costs. Similar to the
WCP programme, there are different
performance categories. While the
current average APA payment to

athletes on the podium level is about


18,500 per annum, the average figure
for development level athletes is
approximately 7,500.
As part of private financing, Sportsaid, a
charity fund established in 1976, aims
to support young talent between the
age of 12 and 18, who train in one of the
Olympic and Paralympic sports at the
amateur level, but have the potential to
succeed in the future. This project relies
on raising funds from the corporate
sector and private individuals.
It should also be noted that financing
is also channelled to professional
sportsmen from private sponsorship
deals, which either flow through the
sport federations and sports clubs or are
directly signed between sportsmen and
sponsoring companies on an individual
basis.

Source: http://www.uksport.gov.uk/pages/wc-performance-programme/, http://www.uksport.gov.uk/pages/athlete-personal-awards/, http://www.sportsaid.org.uk/


KPMG Analysis

Other factors aiding the creation of a safety net for players


Cash rewards by central and state
Governments: Players who win
medals or perform well in international
competitions such as the Olympic
Games and Commonwealth Games
benefit from rewards from various
state Governments, the Central
Government and companies.
Such awards could not only act as
incentives but they also help secure
players future.

Backup careers: These are


opportunities provided by the
Government and the private sector to
retain players in the sports ecosystem
even after retirement from active
sports. The sports ministrys decision
on direct recruitment of all Olympic
participants as coaches is aimed
at providing financial security to
players. Players could also consider
backup options in the fields of
sports management/marketing

and sports consulting in the future


if the trend of league-based sports
in India gains acceptance widely.
Similarly, to fulfil the demand of
coaches in line with the Governments
vision, pursuing courses in sports
education, psychology and nutrition
can also be potential backup options.
Sportspersons may also get training to
become analysts, commentators and
journalists.

Key issues
Lack of policy ensuring financial
security post retirement: There
is no pension policy or policy to
ensure financial security of players
representing India at international
games who are not able to win
medals in such events or national-level
sportspersons.

Non-recognition of the Indian


sports industry: The absence of a
sports industry in India often restricts
opportunities in sports management/
marketing/consulting. This can
restricts the possibility of retaining
elite sportspersons in the sports
ecosystem after they retire.

47

Business of Sports

3. Taxation in the sports


sector

Business of Sports

48

Background
Taxation of artistes, sportspersons and
foreign teams participating in various
national and international sporting/
entertainment events in India is
complicated, especially from a direct tax
perspective. This is primarily due to the
difficulty around the characterisation of
their incomes. This is principally driven
by the extremely creative and complex
manner in which contracts are structured
multiple jurisdictions are involved since
artistes and sportspersons are generally
always on the move. To substantiate the

gravity of the matter, one may recall that


the Standing Committee on Finance
had to present a comprehensive report
in 2011 before the Lok Sabha on tax
assessment/exemption and related
matters concerning IPL/BCCI1; that
Usain Bolt, the fastest human on planet,
refrained from participating in an event
held at Crystal Palace, London, in August
2010, owing to unfavourable laws
of the United Kingdom on taxation of
sponsorship and winning income.2

Broad overview of the direct tax framework


In India, Section 115BBA, under Chapter
XII of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (the
Act), provides for taxation of artistes/
sportspersons and establishes a specific
manner in which the income earned
by a non-resident sportsperson and
sports association shall be computed
and brought to tax in India. Certain
specific income streams of non-resident
non-citizen athletes and sportspersons,
such as guaranteed participation fee,
advertisement income and income from
contribution to articles in newspapers
and journals are liable to be taxed in
India at the rate of 20 percent (excluding
surcharge and education cess) on gross
basis. Further, the Central Board of Direct
Taxes (CBDT) has also issued a Circular3
that addresses certain issues relating to
the taxation of national and international
events and shows for entertainment and
sports.

1. Circular No. 787 dated 10 February, 2000


2. 38th Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance - Tax
Assessment and Exemptions and Related Matters Concerning IPL-BCCI
3. Usain Bolt snubs London meeting over tax laws, BBC, 12 July 2010

The Organization for Economic


Cooperation and Developments Model
Tax Convention (OECD MC/MC)
provides special provisions under Article
17 for taxing artistes/sportspersons
who perform internationally. Simply
put, Article 17 of the MC allocates to the
country of performance (source country)
the right to tax the consideration paid to
a non-resident artiste/sportsperson for
performance therein. This is irrespective
of whether the artiste or sportsperson
is self-employed and has a permanent
establishment in the source country or is
an employee. In other words, Article 17
overrides the normal taxation provisions
of the MC (i.e. Article 7 and Article 15).
Further, Article 17 of the MC does not
provide for any computation mechanism
but, as stated earlier, merely allocates
the taxing rights between the source

country and the country of residence of


the artiste/sportsperson. Such income
is taxed as per the domestic tax law of
the source country in India, in terms of
Section 115BBA of the Act. Further, the
MC does not provide for any time or fee
threshold to trigger the application of
Article 17. However, some bilateral tax
treaties that India has entered into act
as an exception to this rule by providing
either for some time (e.g. India-Egypt Tax
Treaty) or fee threshold (e.g. India-US tax
treaty) to trigger the application of Article
17.
Article 17 also provides for specific
anti-avoidance provisions to counter any
devices/schemes, pursuant to which
incomes of an artiste/ sportsperson
accrues not to him but to any other
person. It further provides for exemption
by the source state of the performance
income that an artiste/sportsperson
may earn from performances that are
substantially supported by public funds.
This reservation or exemption is included
in the majority of bilateral tax treaties that
India has entered into.
An artiste/sportsperson earns income
from various sources; however, only
incomes from his personal activities
as such that is incomes that are
predominantly attributable to an
artiste/sportsperson in the capacity
of a performer or his other activities
or property rights as a performer, are
covered within the ambit of Article
17. Some typical streams of income of
an artiste/sportsperson and their tax
implications are as follows:

49

Business of Sports

Participation fees and prize money:


Article 17 applies to all remuneration
paid to an artiste/sportsperson with
respect to his performance in the source
country and is liable to tax. As discussed
above, Article 17 does not provide for
any beneficial rate or mode of taxation
and hence, the same would be governed
by the provisions of the domestic tax
law in the Indian context, this would
be according to Section 115BBA of the
Act. In terms of the said Section, certain
specific income streams of non-resident
non-citizen athletes which includes the
guaranteed participation fee is brought
to tax in India at the rate of 20 percent
(excluding surcharge and education cess)
on gross basis. Further, Section 115BB of
the Act specifically deals with taxation of

income from winnings, which includes


winning from any game or sport played in
India, and brings them to tax at the rate
of 30 percent (excluding surcharge and
education cess).
The presence of several provisions has
given rise to a controversy wherein the
industry seems to be debating whether
prize money earned by artistes or
sportspersons should be taxable under
Section 115BB or 115BBA of the Act. The
fact that neither of them begins with a
non-obstante clause while both of them
constitute the special provisions chapter
further aggravates the issue.
As discussed above, Section 115BBA
applies to only guaranteed participation

fee/prize money. Accordingly, there is a


need to evaluate whether unguaranteed
participation fee/prize money can be said
to be governed by Section 115BBA of the
Act. If not, would the normal provisions
of the Act apply? Accordingly, there is a
need to evaluate whether the provisions
of Section 115BBA apply to unguaranteed
participation fee/prize money. If not,
whether a reasonably attributable share
of such unguaranteed participation fee/
prize money to the performance of the
artistes/sportspersons in India be liable
to tax at the rate of 40 percent (exclusive
of surcharge and education cess) on the
net income basis in terms of the normal
provisions of the Act.

Sponsorship and advertisement income


Besides performance fees, artistes/
sportspersons often receive income in
the form of advertisement or sponsorship
fees (includes fees received for the
encryption of logos, trademarks or
trade name on the clothes or their
other apparatus). The commentary to
OECD MC 2010 states that, typically,
royalties for intellectual property rights
will be covered by Article 12 (royalties
and fees for technical services) and not
Article 17; however, general sponsorship
income directly or indirectly linked to the
performance in a source country would
be covered by Article 17.

There is an ongoing spate of


controversies surrounding the taxation
of global advertisement and sponsorship
arrangements that artistes/sportspersons
enter into. It has been debated, now
in fact for quite some time, whether it
is possible to cover within the ambit of
Article 17 a reasonably allocable share of
global advertisement and sponsorship
revenues of artistes/sportspersons and
offer to tax them in various countries of
their performance. The OECD discussion
draft on Article 17 inter alia includes
discussion on this aspect. However,
the resolution does not appear in

sight. Similarly, other matters are also


being debated such as whether there
is a possibility to cover within the ambit
of Article 7, instead of Article 17, the
advertisement and sponsorship revenues
that an artiste/sportsperson earns from
arrangements that are global in nature but
do not relate to any specific tournaments.
Consequently, in the absence of
any permanent establishment, such
payments may not be liable to tax in the
source country. There is a similar issue
with Global Prize Money too.

Some other contentious issues on which the industry awaits


clarifications from the Government
Besides the concerns outlined above,
following are some key issues that merit
consideration:
Taxation in case of a triangular treaty:
For example, payments made by
Rajasthan Royals, an Indian company,
to Shane Warne, an Australian
resident, for participating in IPL 2,
played in South Africa4.
Section 115BBA covers within its
ambit only guaranteed income.
However, there is no clarity on what
constitutes guaranteed income.
Tax implications on the player transfer
fee, signing fee/joining bonus, which
are common in soccer leagues
worldwide.

The jurisprudence on the taxation


of artistes/sportsmen has been
continuously evolving for the past
century-and-a-half, while India has only
recently started tackling issues related
to special taxation rules. Given the
complexities, coupled with limited Indian
and international judicial precedents
on the subject matter, the debate on
the taxability of income earned by
artistes and sportspersons is likely to
continue in the near future. Hence, the
Government could do well to understand
the industrys requirements, rationalise
the tax structure and put to rest these
issues by issuing appropriate legislative
commandment.

4. Pruning Rajasthan Royals squad was horrible job: Warne,The Indian


Express, 17 April, 2009

Business of Sports

50

Overview of the Indian indirect tax regime:


Indian sports have overhauled over
the last decade-and-a-half with strong
commercialisation and globalisation of
related activities. Similar modernisation
is also reflected in the changes in
tax treatments and consequently tax
disputes. Meanwhile, there were some
more important changes in the form
of the value-added tax (VAT) replacing
sales taxes during 20052007, service
tax expanding its ambit to cover almost
all services in the economy while excise
and customs duties held the fort by
reducing a plethora of notifications and
rates stabilising at about 2530 percent

for customs and 12 percent for excise.


State Government continued to levy
entertainment and entry taxes.
With the maze of taxes and both central
and state Governments taxing activities/
goods, the indirect tax regime in India
is undoubtedly complex. However, with
increasing complexities in the field of
sports with sponsors, franchisee,
event managers, sports bodies and
Governments playing their respective
roles the application for indirect taxes
has become complex for the industry as
well as the Government.

Key indirect tax issues in the sports sector


The manufacturing of sports goods
is concentrated in a few pockets in
India and was traditionally a labourintensive industry serving India as well
as other countries. The Government
had granted exemption from excise to
sports goods, which was withdrawn in
2011 to bring them in line with those by
state Governments to pave way for the
Goods and Services Tax (GST). Duty was
increased from 1 percent to 2 percent
in the following year and the industry
wanted it to be rolled back.
Internationalisation of sports meant
getting sports and other equipment
(Formula 1 cars, yachts, boats and even
the video recording gears of the TV crew)
into the country for a few days and then
returning them. The customs law in India
have a provision to refund duty if the
goods are re-exported within a particular
time period. However, players and their
franchisee consider this as a major
hindrance due to the time it takes to get
refund. In January 2014, the Commerce
Ministry proposed a duty-free import of
racing vehicles after executing a bond and
undertaking to re-export within 30 days.
In international events such as the Cricket
World Cup, sports bodies are often found
struggling to get exemptions for the sport,
medical, broadcast and other crucial

office equipment. The Government often


allows duty-free imports for mega events
on some conditions. But frequent delays
often keep organisers on tenterhooks. A
simple system may help the Government
and organisers to address such issues.
The advent of service tax coincided
with the commercialisation of sports in
India. A small honorarium that cricketers
used to get for playing for the country
in the past has turned into a massive
business through endorsements,
sponsorships and franchisee events
such as IPL (and similar events) with
different stakeholders (sports boards,
franchisees, sponsors and players) and
service providers (event managers,
broadcasters, caterers, transporters and
TV anchors) playing their respective roles.
The Government became a crucial player
for providing security (police), safety (fire
protection services), electricity, water
and various permissions for such events.
The success of sporting events has
attracted tax sleuths who wade through
contracts to identify any activity for
consideration that can be potentially
covered under service tax but may have
been disguised by organisers under
sharing of profits model to avoid paying
taxes.

The service tax law provides for


exemption to services provided by
certain professionals or sponsors to
a recognised sports body. However,
there is no clarity on whether such an
exemption can also extend to services
provided to franchisees, since the league
is ultimately organised by the respective
sports governing bodies. Given the high
stakes involved in such franchisee-based
sports leagues and the fact that the
trend of leagues is getting popular, the
exchequer may want to tax each leg of
the commercial arrangement among
the various stakeholders, whereas the
sports professionals may want to claim
exemption.
The business of sports is expanding the
world over, including in India. Organisers
should appreciate that the Government
intends to support them in exchange
of only a small share of profits in the
form of taxes. On the other hand,
the Government should also aim at
proactively supporting them in building
the requisite infrastructure to identify and
cash in on the countrys talent as well
as in promoting the commercialisation
of sports similar to other industries, by
addressing challenges and providing
additional incentives.

51

Business of Sports

4. Issues and
Recommendations

Business of Sports

52

This chapter intends to discuss recommendations on key issues identified across


various segments of the sports ecosystem, which have been discussed in detail in the
earlier chapters.

Table 8: Key issues and recommendations


Segment

Issue

Recommendation

Examples/case study

Overall

Lack of a sports
culture in India

Nationwide campaign to raise awareness on sports

Campaigns like those run for


other Government schemes e.g.
Pulse Polio program, the adult
literacy program, NDTV Marks
for Sports, etc.

A nationwide media campaign stressing the


importance of sports and involving famous
personalities/celebrity endorsements could help
encourage uptake of sports in the country
Promoting uptake could induce a demand for training
facilities inviting investment in establishing the same
Crickets popularity in India is primarily the reason for
the commercial success of the IPL. Thus, promoting
sports culture in other sports could make leagues a
lucrative format inviting more corporate investment,
leading to further sport development.
Implementation of a uniform sports policy across all
states
Build a uniform sports framework (as bare minimum)
for adoption by all states
Make case studies of successful initiatives taken up
by leading sporting states, which are available to all
states
Active regional/local media supporting the cause of
developing sports in India
State Governments may encourage local/regional
media to promote sports by showcasing local,
school-level competitions, organising sporting
quizzes and increasing sports coverage to create a
sporting culture
The local media can involve local sporting/nonsporting heroes and icons in their campaigns to
inspire the youth to pursue sports
The benefits of investing in promoting sports will
be reaped in the long term when the country has
a flourishing sporting culture. This would increase
demand for such sports and the media would have
more options on content, resulting in returns from
higher advertisement rates and more viewership.
Increased popularity of sports through the media
will help attract sponsors and advertisers to support
various community-level competitions/leagues in the
long run as well.

Means could include TV


commercials, regional and
national newspapers, marathon
campaigns etc.

Case study on Haryana


Governments sports policy
shows initiatives around
improving talent scouting
efforts by implementing
advanced methods like the
SPAT test, etc. Also, innovative
schemes to encourage uptake
of sports by providing incentives
to even coaches and villages
of sports achievers has helped
build a culture for sports in the
state.

53

Business of Sports

Segment

Issue

Recommendation

Overall

Limited funding
avenues in sports

Provision of industry status to sports

Examples/case study

The Government may institute flexible policies and


comprehensive laws to make way for an investmentconducive sports environment while trying to ensure
that the industry is regulated.
Entry of private sector could boost sports
professionalism and the quality of sports
infrastructural facilities, which could have a positive
impact on Indian sports performances.
Industry status to sports could help expand
associated industries like sports manufacturing,
education, sports medicine, etc.
Professionalization and increase in opportunities in
sports could incentivize a larger segment of athletes
to remain part of the sports ecosystem, assaying
different roles post retirement, leading to further
advancement of the sports sector.

Sports
governance

Lack of
transparency

Strict implementation of the ports Bill 2013


The bill would help ensure strict adherence to age
and tenure rules, and the prohibition of charge framed
persons in the governing bodies.
The bills proposition of a Sports Election Commission
for conducting free and fair elections within all sports
governing bodies, and the inclusion of more athletes
in the executive bodies of the same, could aid in
avoiding corruption.
Non-corrupt functioning of the IOA and the
federations could also circumvent the issue of tussle
between groups for being recognised as the apex
federation for a particular sport.

Limited
community-level
engagement in
sports despite
PYKKA

Incorporation of a Community-level Engagement


Team

Limited
commercial focus
of governing
bodies

Institution of a Corporate Relations Team

This team, under the aegis of MYAS, could be a


support system for the NSFs and advise them in
planning and holding of events and competitions,
thus increasing the scope of reach to the grassroot.

The Corporate Relations Team under the aegis of


MYAS, could be a support system that looks after
marketing, sponsorships, and budgets of the SAI and
the Community-level Engagement Team proposed
above with the latter working on building capability of
the NSFs and promoting community level sports
This could help bring more focus to the primary
objectives of the SAI and the Community-level
Engagement Team, i.e. provide training facilities to
upcoming athletes, and help organise competitions
to monitor participation & budding athletes,
respectively.
This could also lead to more professional handling of
funds, encouraging corporate participation.

Case study on Australia


governance model highlights
the importance of the
Community-level Engagement
Team.

Case study on Australia


governance model highlights
the importance of the Corporate
Relations Team.

Business of Sports

Segment

Issue

Recommendation

Talent
scouting
and
training of
players &
trainers

Lack of coordination
between
concerned
bodies affecting
professional
uptake of sports

Identifying and promoting networking among all


concerned stakeholders

Examples/case study

For each sport, the total number of stakeholders


investing in/holding rural and district level
competitions could get connected and work in
unison through the institution of a board perhaps;
since it has been observed that there is a lack of
interaction between various organizations like the
SAI, NSFs, private companies, PSUs, etc. who go
about conducting competitions for talent scouting
independently.
A strong interaction of all the stakeholders could
also give rise to more PPPs where for instance,
trainees could train at infrastructure provided by SAI
and private companies could fund player scouting &
training or vice versa.

Lack of coaches
and technical
know-how of
sports in India

Collaboration between SAI and NSFs for training


coaches
Government organizations like the SAI which have
good sports education infrastructure may collaborate
with national sports federations that have up to date
knowledge of present day techniques used in the
respective games in order to develop a pool of expert
indigenous coaches.
Such interactions are currently missing and could
help in tackling the challenge of lack of expert
coaches.
This could also help private academies become
sustainable by reducing their reliance on expensive
foreign coaches.

Scarcity of
playing spaces
and high capital
expenditure
required to
establish
private training
academies

Allowing access of public infrastructure to private


training academies in lieu of reasonable fees
Opening of public infrastructure like stadia and
residential schools to private training academies
could aid in public/legacy asset monetization and
prove sustainable for both the Government and the
private academies.

Case study on AFC Ajax Youth


Academy, Amsterdam, The
NetherlandsAFC Ajax is one of the most
advanced football academies
in Europe. Nonetheless, the
main stadium of the academy
is owned by a private-public
holding company and the
Government of Amsterdam.

54

55

Business of Sports

Segment

Issue

Talent
scouting
and
training
of players
& trainers
governance

Recommendation

Examples/case study

Consider alternative modes of financing

Case study on Manchester


United Academy-

Some examples are obtaning revenues from naming


rights by private academy owners
With the advent of leagues in India, some clubs
owning academies could generate revenue from
the transfer of players to other clubs in the game of
football.

Manchester United Academy


is the youth development
academy/program of the
Manchester United Football
Club. The academy has
generated innovative revenue
streams like:
Revenue from sale of
players: David Beckham was
sold to Real Madrid for
24.5 million (most expensive
home-grown player)
Academy naming rights:
Manchester United agreed
on an eight-year naming
rights agreement with Aon
in April 2013 that resulted in
the Trafford Training Centre
being renamed to the Aon
Training Complex. The deal
has been estimated to be
worth around 120 million.

Imposition of
customs duty
on training
equipment
imported
by private
academies vs.
duty exemption
on the same
imported by the
Government
Inadequate
support to former
sportspersons
opening private
academies

Relief/exemption from duty for private academies


upon certain conditions
Private academies may be exempt from a percentage
of or full duty, provided the equipment is being
imported for training of certain top players in the
academy.
A minimum criterion could be set for players whose
training equipment is exempt from import duty such
as those who have consistently performed well at
inter-state/national level games or above.
Continued increase of public-private fund like the
National Sports Development Fund(NSDF)
The NSDF1 is a public-private fund that is funded by
the Central Government, a few state Governments
and some private entities, and is used for the training
of elite sportspersons for important international
level games and for the development of sports
organizations. The NSDF donated requisite funds
for a synthetic athletic track (to meet international
training standards) to the Usha School of Athletics.
Similarly, the Government could formulate a policy to
fund a specific number of foreign coaches for private
training academies, opened by former sportspersons
of repute or by those who have brought international
laurels to the country. Such measures from the
Government would incentivise sportspersons to
remain a part of the Indian sports ecosystem, further
leading to its development.

1. Sourjya Bhowmick, What does it cost to win an Olympic medal, www.indiaspend.in, 9 August 2012

Business of Sports

Segment

Issue

Recommendation

Talent
scouting
and training
of players &
trainers

Lack of
awareness of
opportunities for
sports coaches

Central and state Governments and NSFs may


promote awareness of opportunities for sport
coaches

56

Examples/case study

The Government could build case studies of typical


career paths and opportunities available, as sports
coaches, nutritionists, psychologists, etc., to create
awareness regarding the career progression in these
fields, which would inspire more people to take up
sports as a career.
The Union Government / state Governments or
sports federations could maintain a repository of
various companies and PSUs that look to recruit
coaches and make that accessible to players who
would like to take up coaching as full time career
upon retirement.
A uniform policy could be implemented mandating
all state Governments to maintain a database of all
state sports coaches and ensuring that a minimum
number be sent for refresher courses whenever such
courses are organised by SAI. The database could be
used to select the most suitable candidates for the
refresher courses.

Lack of
specialised
courses in
nutrition, sports
medicine,
psychology, etc.

Evaluation of demand by the Government for these


courses and establishment of lucrative incentives by
the Government for their inclusion in existing private
and public universities
The Government may assess demand for sports
sciences and sports management; on the basis
that incentives are provided to established private
and public universities to support inclusion of such
courses as a separate stream of study.

The case study on the strong


emphasis on sports courses
in the UK explains that from a
financing perspective, majority
of the universities/courses are
funded from public sources with
very little funding coming from
payment of tuition fees.

57

Business of Sports

Segment

Issue

Recommendation

Examples/case study

Sports
infrastructure

Insufficient
legacy planning
for various
games hosted
by India leading
to poor asset
monetization

Legacy planning to be done before the


construction of stadium/assets begins

An example of effective legacy


planning is that of the Glasgow
Commonwealth Games 2014.
Glasgow announced its initial legacy
plan in late 2009; in contrast Delhi, the
venue for the games in 2010, had not
started legacy planning even by then.

Legacy planning with future stakeholders


of the property could be done before
construction begins. It is important to
incorporate requirements such as the
inclusion of a restaurant, hotel, size of
administration block, etc. in the design of
the stadiums as per the legacy plan, for
optimal use and monetization of assets after
the games are over.
A current instance where legacy planning
needs to be stressed upon from now itself
is the new mega cities that the Government
is planning to develop from scratch, for e.g.
the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).
Such projects could provide immense
opportunities for PPPs and economic activity
for all industries including sports.

Case study on the City of


Manchester StadiumThe stadium was the main athletics
stadium for the Commonwealth
Games 2002. However, for effective
monetization, the City Council struck
an agreement with the Manchester
City FC to convert the stadium to a
football stadium with the club paying
for stadium redevelopment. Apart from
the Council that generates revenue
from the rent paid by the club, the
club itself has been able to make the
venture profitable through innovative
deals like:
Selling of naming rights of the
stadium to Etihad
Using the match day sales to pay
rent to the council, with no money
due if ticket sales did not exceed
the capacity of their previously
owned stadium.
Another example of legacy planning
is the Naya Raipur Sports City whose
development is underway:
The sports city is being built on the
BOT model with a private player
building the city and handing it back
to the Naya Raipur Development
Authority
An area is ear-marked as residential
space to cross-subsidize the sports
facilities built.

Business of Sports

Segment

Issue

Recommendation

Sports
infrastructure

Limited
implementation
of existing
schemes

Mandatory implementation and periodic


Central Government review of the status of
implementation of schemes like PYKKA, National
Playing Fields Association of India, at the state
level across all states

58

Examples/case study

The Central Government may mandate the


implementation of these schemes at the state
level and conduct periodic assessments of the
extent of implementation of the schemes
An annual conference of all state sports ministers
could be held to discuss key sports initiatives
and schemes being adopted by various state
Governments so that various state Governments
may learn from states that have been successful
in implementing innovative schemes and
circumventing common challenges in instituting
central schemes
State Governments may also work closely with
state level sports associations to implement
schemes such as PYKKA. This would help ensure
state sports associations involvement and
awareness regarding various PYKKA competitions
that are being organised and the state players
participating in the same. State sports associations
should aim to ensure that they maintain a
database regarding the outcomes of these PYKKA
competitions and relay this information to the
NSFs.
Limited
corporate
investment
in sports
infrastructure
development

Establishment of flexible policies and sports


investment- conducive efforts by the Government
to attract corporate investment

Case study on Amsterdam


Arena, Amsterdam, the
Netherlands-

The Government may look to revise policies and


consider methods like innovative PPP models for
attracting corporate investment in sports.

The City of Amsterdam


identified the opportunity of
supporting the development
of AFC Ajaxs (one of Europes
top academies) new stadium
as a catalyst for city activities
and urban commercial
development around the
stadium (potential revenue
generator for the municipality).

The Government may also create a repository


of case studies of successful instances of
corporate investment in infrastructure, available
to all companies willing to venture in sports
infrastructure development.

The City of Amsterdam


received the naming rights of
the stadium in exchange of
the financial support extended
to development of AFC Ajaxs
new stadium.

59

Business of Sports

Segment

Issue

Recommendation

Sports
Equipment

Lack of a unified
representation
for the sports
equipment
industry

Integration of sports apparel exports with the


Sports Goods Export Promotion Council (SGEPC)

Examples/case study

Sports goods exports and sports apparel exports


are promoted by separate councils under the
aegis of separate ministries which is unique to
India, as in most other countries sports exports are
monitored by the same organization.
These councils should work holistically for
development of sports products sector and help
small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to work
towards developing strong Indian brands.
Developing strong indigenous sports brands
could make the sports retail landscape more
competitive and further aid advancement of
sports manufacturing industry. Such a boost could
potentially increase inexpensive accessibility to
quality sports equipment thereby serving a larger
market right down to the grassroots.

Non-recognition
of some import
items as sports
goods

Government policy targeted at bucketing


equipment for sports training under sports goods
only and levying commensurate customs duty
Fair policies around customs duty charged on
sports training goods/equipment could boost
sports retail and manufacturing industry in India.
This could also encourage corporate investment in
the sports training segment of the ecosystem.

Leagues and
tournaments

Lack of
transparency in
the governance
of leagues

Examples of boxing gloves being


classified as general gloves and
wrestling mats, being classified
as general mats, and hence levied
a customs duty higher than that
for the import of sporting goods
have been observed.

Implementation of a uniform robust legal


framework for governance across all leagues
The design of the governance framework may
ensure requisite professionalism and transparency.
This would also encourage corporate investment
in leagues.

Poor
monetisation of
leagues

Improved packaging of events to make the leagues


spectator-friendly
This may involve improving the quality of stadia,
timing the events in a way that they suit a majority
of the audience and broadcasting shorter versions
of the games (if possible) to grip audiences
attention.
Critical success factors, as identified earlier in the
report, may be considered while packaging events
to make the league popular.

Part of the IPLs success can be


attributed to its ability to deliver
effectively on the critical success
factors identified earlier in the
report. For example, broadcasting
matches in prime time to attract
non-traditional cricket spectators,
improved quality of stadia, and
involvement of various celebrities
in the league to aid marketing,
broadcasting the shortest version
of the game and involving popular
international players.

Business of Sports

Segment

Issue

Recommendation

Examples/case study

Leagues and
tournaments

Limited
engagement
of franchises
with local
communities

Concentrated efforts by franchises to engage with


local communities

Case studies on academies


such as the Manchester United
Academy demonstrate how
trading home-grown players is
a major source of revenue for
football clubs.

Community engagement by franchises could help


build a fan base and promote a culture for the
respective sport within the community.
This could aid in popularising the franchise by
attracting more sponsorships and endorsement
deals in the future, enabling high returns on
investment.
Moreover, through community engagements,
franchises could train domestic talent for reducing
reliance on foreign players, ensuring sustainability
in the future.
Training local talent may also translate into
inter-club trading of players in football, which is a
potential revenue stream for clubs.

Performance
incentives for
sportspersons

Lack of policy
ensuring
financial
security to
some players
after retirement

Collaboration among NSFs and sports consulting


firms to plan player careers after retirement
NSFs may collaborate with various sports
consulting firms to help all their players develop
their retirement plans and gain requisite skills in
their post-retirement streams of choice.
Sports consulting firms can help in making players
aware of various options in their post-retirement
careers, as well as in raising necessary funds (from
sponsors and charity events) to train players in the
same.

Limited career
options within
the sports
ecosystem

Provision of industry status to sports


Recognising sports as an industry in India could
increase opportunities in the areas of sports
management, sports marketing and sports
consulting.
Is is important to invest players back into the Indian
sports system, albeit in different roles, taking the
industry forward.

Source: KPMG Analysis

60

61

Business of Sports

Way forward
A majority of the challenges identified
in the existing sports ecosystem can be
traced to the singular issue of the lack
of a sporting culture in India. A thriving
sports environment depends not only
on the interest among spectators, but
also on an efficient support system
that continuously fuels their interest.
Therefore, the scope of the term sports
culture extends beyond the popularity of
sports and mostly entails policy-making
designed to encourage participation
in sports and builds an ecosystem
comprising of connected, informed and
aware stakeholders.
Thus, a Joint Working Group (JWG) could
be formulated that works to strengthen a
sporting culture in India by taking action
on the recommendations provided in
this report and implementing additional
initiatives identified by the JWG. The
Group should ideally have representation
from various stakeholders identified
across the sports ecosystem and include
members from:
Government bodies:
Central Government bodies in
charge of sports in India such as
MYAS and SAI
Ministry of Human Resource
Development: implementation
of sports-oriented education and
employment policies. An education

policy that regards sports as a


subject, for instance, would further
create demand for coaches and
physical education teachers, which
is likely to also boost the uptake of
sports coaching as a career
Ministry of Finance: allocation of
commensurate budgetary funds
based on the understanding of the
developments in the sports sector
Ministry of Commerce and
Industry: establishment of more
SEZs for the manufacturing of
sports equipment and FDI in retail
State Governments:
implementation of grassroot-level
initiatives suggested by the JWG
Sports governing bodies: JWG
should ideally include representation
from all sports governing bodies such
as IOA, NSFs, SOAs and SSAs.
Private bodies: The private sector in
sports may be represented by:
Broadcasters: packaging noncricket sports to increase their
popularity
Sports manufacturers and retailers:
marketing and distributing high
quality and inexpensive sports
equipment to improve their access
at the grass-roots level

Sports consulting firms: extending


sports consulting services to more
sports, beyond cricket and football
Leading corporate organizations
that have been involved in
the sports sector through
CSR activities: operating
non-profit sports foundations,
for-profit academies and other
for-profit ventures such as owning
franchises in sports leagues are
likely to take the industry forward.
Government organizations/
agencies: departments such as the
Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE), National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC) and National
Council of Educational Research and
Training (NCERT) can support JWGs
decision-making process by providing
vital statistics and content.
JWG can segregate them as shortterm and long-term recommendations
based on their ease of implementation
and potential impact on their
establishment. Besides providing
specific recommendations for the
Government and private sector players,
JWG may expedite work on and the
implementation of the remaining
recommendations.

Business of Sports

62

Short-term and medium-term recommendations for implementation


Promote the idea of a nationwide
media campaign involving celebrities
to spread awareness and generate
interest in sports. This can be
executed in the same way as the
Pulse Polio Program.
Promote the adoption of a common
minimum sports policy/framework by
all states after preparing a database
of successful initiatives established
by some states such as Haryana, and
including them in the framework.
Deliberate on Government policies
and work on streamlining PPP models
in sports infrastructure and sports
training, such as monetization plans
for all SAI-run institutes.
Work on additional suggestions for
the Sports Bill 2013 or underline on its
importance in improving transparency.

Work towards mandating the creation


of player identities for players of
every sport who participate in their
respective sport competitions at
the community level and above. The
player identity database could be
managed by SSAs and linked to their
respective NSF databasees.
Create a database of typical career
paths/ progression and organizations
that recruit sports coaches and
physical education teachers to spread
awareness on these streams.
Establish common rules on player
transfers and player management
similar to those by FIFA to help
ensure that the sports whose
international federations dont
have similar laws may follow these
common rules. This would help bring
more transparency and provide
impetus to leagues in other sports.

Long-term recommendations for implementation


Work towards formulating detailed
rules on the incorporation of a
community-level engagement team,
and a corporate relations team
to support MYAS.Work towards,
mandating collaboration between
NSFs and SAI to jointly train sports
coaches by leveraging their respective
knowledge and strengths.
Work on establishment of a
community-level league and elite
player league. for a major part of the
year, for all sports and in each state,
according to the standard rules of the
respective NSF.
Work towards establishing an annual
domestic competition where a team
from each state preferably funded
by the Government and staffed by the
SSA based on player performances
plays throughout the year in
community sports.
Promote legacy planning as a practice
before the construction of games
facilities/sports cities and bring to
the fore related opportunities to raise
awareness among corporate houses.

Promote the role of SSAs in the


implementation of PYKKA schemes
by making it compulsory to establish
a council of State Government
authorities and SSA officials
monitoring the implementation of
such centrally-sponsored schemes.
Player identities can be mandated
for all PYKKA competitions as well.
The SSAs could then relay important
information regarding the same to
NSFs.
Prepare guidelines for infrastructure
for each sport and mandate
improvements in existing
infrastructure, and the construction
of new infrastructure based on the
same. This would also help in better
packaging events.
Work towards the implementation
of a uniform legal framework to
facilitate effective governance across
all leagues.
Propose regulations that the
Government can adopt to provide
relief from the customs duty to
private academies importing sporting
equipment.

63

Business of Sports

Table 9: Major stakeholders, their ultimate targets, benefits from investment in sports, and potential benefits to
stakeholders from the formation of the JWG

Stakeholder

Targets

Central and state


Governments

Socio-economic
development of
the country

Potential benefits from investment


in sports

Potential benefits from the formation


of JWG

Improved fitness levels of Indias


human resource

Holistic policy formulation through


increased awareness of various
Government ministries/entities on
the challenges faced by various
stakeholders in the sports ecosystem

Economic boost through benefits


in inter-related sectors such as
tourism, education, sports exports
and retail.
Instill national pride through sports

Sports governing
bodies like NSFs,
SSAs and IOA

Selfsustainability

Increase popularity of the sport


that the respective governing
bodies by organising competitions,
leagues and events to become
self-sustainable.

Realising the Governments vision on


sports by leveraging existing capabilities
of other JWG stakeholders. For instance,
collaborations with the media to
broadcast a nationwide sports campaign.
Potential increase in sponsorships
by connecting with broadcasters and
keeping corporate organizations abreast
with latest developments/competitions
in the respective sports.
Inclusion of suggestions from sports
governing bodies in the formulation of a
common governance framework across
all sports and collaborations with sports
consulting firms to create safety net for
players.

Corporate
organizations

Media

Profitability

Profitability

Brand building and recognition


by reaching out to a significant
segment of the population, i.e.,
youth

Increased awareness among various


stakeholders on private sector activities
in various segments of the sports ecosystem.

Opportunity for business houses


to diversify into sporting avenues
such as leagues, merchandise
and brands that have a more
prominent youth connect.

Increased support to corporate houses


investing in sports through increased
focus on streamlining PPP models,
legacy assets monetization and relaxing
Government rules on duty.

Generating more content


to broadcast by investing in
popularising various sports and
promoting their viewership

Exploring opportunities for increasing


popularity and viewership for sports in
India

Brand building
Other Government
agencies/societies
such as NCERT,
CBSE and NSDC

Improvements
in school
education, skill
development and
training Indian
youth

Supporting the Government in


socio-economic development by
investing their human resources
in supplementing vital content and
statistics.

Support from various stakeholders,


especially the Government, in
implementing a holistic education
and workforce training policy/plan to
motivate the youth towards sports

Business of Sports

An analysis of various segments of


the sports ecosystem demonstrates
the involvement of private players,
besides Government bodies and sports
authorities, albeit in a limited scope and
mostly in the form of CSR activities, due
to the respective organizations inherent
culture for sports. The business of sports
in India is yet to pick up steam and this
could largely be driven by the introduction
of more leagues on the lines of the IPL
in cricket. Case studies on domestic and
international events indicate the relatively
long gestation periods of commercial

returns on investment in sports. However,


they also indicate the high revenue
generating potential of sports leagues.
Nonetheless, it has been observed that
investment in sport provides private
organisations with significant social
return on investment (RoI) in terms of
enabling brand recognition and brand
building by reaching out to a large
segment of the population. This is due
to the high appeal sports enjoy with the
youth and the fact that they create brand
loyalty by engaging local community
members. Considering this and

64

keeping in mind the advent of leagues in


several sports and an active Indian media
corporate houses already involved in
sports should now consider for-profit
ventures in sports such as owning
franchises and providing sponsorships
to various leagues and tournaments.
Moreover, with CSR becoming
mandatory under the Companies Act
2013, business houses are increasingly
considering sport as an avenue for CSR
activities due to its significant social RoI.

65

Business of Sports

Glossary
ABSC

Army Boys Sports Company Scheme

AIFF

All-India Football Federation

APA

Athlete Personal Award

ASC

Australian Sports Commission

BAI

Badminton Association of India

BBFS

Baichung Bhutia Football Schools

BCCI

Board of Control for Cricket in India

CII

Confederation of Indian Industry

COX

Centre of Excellence

CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility

CWG

Commonwealth Games

DCMS

Department for Culture, Media and Sports, UK

F&B Tax

Food and beverage tax

FDI

Foreign Direct Investment

FIDE

Fdration Internationale des checs (International


Federation of Chess)

FIFA

Fdration Internationale de Football Association


(International Federation of Football)

GBA

Gopichand Badminton Academy

GDP

Gross Domestic Product

GVA

Gross Value Added

HI

Hockey India

IBL

Indian Badminton League

ICC

International Cricket Council

ICL

Indian Cricket League

IHF

Indian Hockey Federation

INR

Indian National Rupee

IOA

Indian Olympic Association

IOC

International Olympic Committee

IPL

Indian Premier League

Business of Sports

LNCPE
Thiruvananthapuram

Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education


Thiruvananthapuram

LNUPE Gwalior

Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education


Gwalior

MCT

Mittal Champions Trust

MLB

Major League Basketball

MYAS

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

NBA

National Basketball Association

NFL

National Football League

NGO

Non-Governmental organisation

NHL

National Hockey League

NISSM

National Institute of Sports Science and Medicine

NOC

National Olympic Committee

NPFAI

National Playing Fields Association of India

NSDF

National Sports Development Fund

NSF

National Sports Federation

NSO

National Sports Organisations

NSTC

National Sports Talent Contest Scheme

ODI

One-Day International

OGQ

Olympic Gold Quest

PPBA

Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy

PPP

Public-private partnership

PSU

Public Sector Undertaking

PYKKA Scheme

Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan Scheme

R&D

Research and development

SAG

Special Area Games

SAI

Sports Authority of India

SEZ

Special Economic Zone

SME

Small and Medium Enterprises

SOA

State Olympic Association

SPAT

Sports and Physical Aptitude Test

SSA

State Sports Associations

STC

SAI Training Centres Scheme

T20

Twenty20

U-

Under

66

67

Business of Sports

UGC

University Grants Commission

UK

United Kingdom

UKS

United Kingdom Sports Council

US

United States

USA

United States of America

UT

Union Territory

VIP

Very Important Person

WCP

World Class Pathway

WLBSA

World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association

WSH

World Series Hockey

Business of Sports

68

Definitions
Gross domestic product (GDP): Market value of all officially recognised final goods
and services produced within in a given period of time.
Gross value added (GVA): The contribution of each individual producer, industry or
sector to the economy. To obtain GVA, the value of intermediate goods and services
is subtracted from gross output.
Public-private partnership (PPP): A public-private partnership is a service
or venture that is financed and operated through a partnership between the
Government and private company/companies.
Special economic zone (SEZ): SEZs are geographical areas created with an
intention to promote export of products, provide employment opportunities and
develop quality infrastructural facilities with minimum possible regulations like
exemption on taxes of export income.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR): CSR could be defined as actions taken by
corporate firms to further a social cause, beyond the business interests of the firm
and that which is required by law.

69

Business of Sports

About KPMG in India


KPMG in India, a professional services firm, is the Indian member firm of KPMG
International and was established in September 1993. Our professionals leverage the
global network of firms, providing detailed knowledge of local laws, regulations, markets
and competition. KPMG in India provide services to over 4,500 international and national
clients, in India. KPMG has offices across India in Delhi, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad,
Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi, Hyderabad and Kolkata. The Indian firm
has access to more than 7,000 Indian and expatriate professionals, many of whom are
internationally trained. We strive to provide rapid, performance-based, industry-focused
and technology-enabled services, which reflect a shared knowledge of global and local
industries and our experience of the Indian business environment.
KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services.
We operate in 156 countries and have 152,000 people working in member firms around
the world.
The KPMG Audit practice endeavors to provide robust and risk based audit services that
address member firms clients strategic priorities and business processes.
KPMGs Tax services are designed to reflect the unique needs and objectives of each
client, whether firms are dealing with the tax aspects of a cross-border acquisition or
developing and helping to implement a global transfer pricing strategy. In practical terms
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as well as put in place the strategies for the longer term.

Business of Sports

70

About CII
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to create and sustain an environment
conducive to the development of India, partnering industry, Government, and civil society,
through advisory and consultative processes.
CII is a non-Government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization,
playing a proactive role in Indias development process. Founded in 1895, Indias premier
business association has over 7100 members, from the private as well as public sectors,
including SMEs and MNCs, and an indirect membership of over 90,000 enterprises from
around 257 national and regional sectoral industry bodies.
CII charts change by working closely with Government on policy issues, interfacing with
thought leaders, and enhancing efficiency, competitiveness and business opportunities
for industry through a range of specialised services and strategic global linkages. It also
provides a platform for consensus-building and networking on key issues.
Extending its agenda beyond business, CII assists industry to identify and execute
corporate citizenship programmes. Partnerships with civil society organizations carry
forward corporate initiatives for integrated and inclusive development across diverse
domains including affirmative action, healthcare, education, livelihood, diversity
management, skill development, empowerment of women, and water, to name a few.
The CII Theme for 2013-14 is Accelerating Economic Growth through Innovation,
Transformation, Inclusion and Governance. Towards this, CII advocacy will accord top
priority to stepping up the growth trajectory of the nation, while retaining a strong focus
on accountability, transparency and measurement in the corporate and social eco-system,
building a knowledge economy, and broad-basing development to help deliver the fruits of
progress to all.
With 63 offices, including 9 Centres of Excellence, in India, and 7 overseas offices
in Australia, China, Egypt, France, Singapore, UK, and USA, as well as institutional
partnerships with 224 counterpart organizations in 90 countries, CII serves as a reference
point for Indian industry and the international business community.

KPMG in India contacts:

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) contacts:

Richard Rekhy
CEO
T: +91 124 307 4303
E: [email protected]

K Jawaharlal
Director
T: +91 124 4014079 (D), 4014060, 4014067
F: +91 124 4014080
E: [email protected]

Dinesh Kanabar
Deputy CEO
Chairman - Sales & Markets
T: +91 22 3090 1661
E: [email protected]

Rajiv Baluni
Executive Officer
T: +91 124 4309443 (D), 4014060, 4014067
F: +91 124 4014080
E: [email protected]

Jaideep Ghosh
Partner
Management Consulting
T: +91 124 307 4152
E: [email protected]

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