Today, in celebration of London Olympics 2012, UK’s MP, Jeremy Browne, participated in a penalty shoot out with India’s former hockey captain and Olympian, Mr. Viren Rasquinha.  The event was held to inspire local school children through sports, as UK had promised upon winning the bid to host London 2012. Viren spent time teaching the children some tips on how to play.  The skills clinic and the penalty shoot-out were conducted at the YMCA College of Physical Education Campus in Chennai.

Can he be the catalyst to the winds of change?

But, coming back to our point, will Messi’s visit visit to India will help in promoting and developing the India football? Yes, is the answer, but only to a certain extent.  There are lots of benefits that will arise out of Messi’s visit. It is a nice marketing strategy to promote and market Indian football. It will help in opening up a whole new opportunities  for commercialization of football in India. More parents will be sending their children to play football.

Another drawback with the development of Indian football is the lack of the infrastructure facilities. But imagine, with the visit of Messi, the “once normal ” Salt Lake stadium is now sporting a renovated look. It’s comparable to the international standards. For information’s sake, the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, took a personal interest in modernising the stadium to international standards. To cash in on the event, hotels and restaurants in the city also made special screening arrangements over dinner.

Looking at the situation we need more Messi’s coming to India, which might see more stadiums of International standards getting developed and also generating more interest among the public to take up the game.

But, is Messi going to be the Messiah of the Indian football? It’s both yes and No. More than expecting super stars like Messi coming to India to develop India football, it should start from within ourselves. People should work with foresight  rather than working on short term goals.

The need of the hour is the development of the game at the grassroots level by all the stake holders of the game. With more initiatives like  Steve McMahon Football Academies (“SMFA”) by the Liverpool FC coming up in India, we will have to cross our fingers and hope that these initiatives stay in the long run.

And finally here comes my questions.

1. Is just developing one stadium to the international standards enough for the development of Indian football?
2. Would more Kolkata fans sending their children to play the game help develop the talent base  through out the nation?
3. Doesn’t other cities deserve the similar matches?
4. Won’t it have been much better if the upcoming players in the Indian junior teams are given chances to play International friendlies?
5. Won’t it be much economic to develop more Stadiums and organizing International friendlies for our footballers?

My questions apart, let’s accept that it’s better to have something to promote the Indian football rather than remaining idle. What Indian football needs is not Just One Messi, but more Messi’s flying into to create wonders in the Nation. And we will be seeing more fan following for football through out the nation, if in case such similar matches happens across all the cities. We will be seeing more new stadiums being built to International standards, and more children taking up the game and finally more international friendlies happening, again which will be really useful if it can be conceptualized in such a way that the India footballers be given a chance to play against the superstars, wherein they can upgrade their game.

Mr. Danapal with Mr.Kotlaba, Instructor at FIBA Commissioners exam at Erbil, Iraq

Q. How did it feel to be one of the three FIBA commissioners in India?

Ponniah I felt really happy.  It was a proud moment.

Q. How does the selection procedure for a commissioner differ from that of a referee?

Ponniah The selection procedures are almost the same, except for the fitness test, which we don’t have to undergo in the FIBA commissioners’ test.

Q. Can you brief the role of a FIBA commissioner?

Ponniah Many people are not aware of the the very fact that a position like FIBA commissioner exists. The FIBA Commissioner is responsible for managing the referees in the FIBA matches. He is responsible for any decision making when a problem arises in the matches.

Q. How challenging will be playing the role of a FIBA commissioner?

Ponniah Performing the work as a FIBA commissioner will be very demanding and challenging. This is because we are required to be at all the matches and expected to deal with the conflicts arising in the matches. We are also to solve any issues that the referees cannot solve themselves.

Q. What are the international matches you have officiated?

Ponniah My first exposure to an International match as an official was at SAF games which were held in Tamil Nadu in 1993. The second event was the Under-16 Asian Basketball championships held at Bangalore in 2007. My third officiating experience was at the Asian basketball Championship for women at Chennai in 2009.

Q. Have you had any regrets of not being a FIBA referee?

Ponniah I appeared for the FIBA referee in 2000, but I was not selected that year. I did not have any regrets, but was confident that will achieve something greater than that. Moreover the age limit did not allow me to try out the FIBA referee try outs again in the future. As I said I had no regrets in the past and also now, as I will be managing the referees in the FIBA matches, which wouldn’t have been possible if I had been a referee.

Q. What is your advice for aspiring FIBA commissioners from India?

Ponniah They have to be thorough with the rules of basketball. And one has to understand the format of Basketball administration. Being a player or a referee will be an added advantage, though it’s not mandatory.

Q. How will you compare the standards of Indian officials to the officials from other countries?

Ponniah I personally feel that I can do better when compared with the foreign officials. Coupled with playing, coaching and refereeing experience, I think I do play the role of a FIBA commissioner better than any official.

Q. What is your opinion about basketball officiating as a career?

Ponniah Officiating in Basketball is not like the other sports. Even the officials in foreign countries make it as their part-time profession, as it doesn’t pay for their living. It has to undergo changes throughout the global system. Moreover the features of being an official is not very attractive expect for some people who are satisfied to stay in touch with the game they love.

Q. What will be your ideas for officiating to get professionalised?

Ponniah The system has to change. Here in India we get Rs.100 on an average for officiating a domestic match. Whereas in countries like Ireland, an official gets paid around a 100 US dollars per match. Official have to be remunerated, if they have to choose it as a profession.

Q. India has got many FIBA referees, but only 3 FIBA commissioners. What’s your view on that?

Ponniah The lack of awareness is the main factor. People don’t know that there is such position like FIBA commissioner. I feel that many people will start trying for the FIBA commissioner’s exams after seeing me. It’s all about the awareness among the people.

Q. What are your future plans?

Ponniah I have reached a level which I was dreaming about. I can go further, to the level of a National Instructor for Referees, but this is  not the apt age.

Q. You have played the roles of a player, a coach referee and now you become a FIBA referee. Which among these roles, you like the most?

Ponniah I really am happy about the current position of being a FIBA commissioner. I love staying with the game, whatever the role it may be. But if you want to know specifically, I would say that I always love to be a player. Nothing makes you happy like playing the game.

Thanks Mr. Danapal for your time, and congratulations for becoming the Third FIBA commissioner from India.

You can also check this article at the BFI website @ http://indiabasketball.org/newsdetails.php?id=481

insured!!

Sports insurance may not be completely new to India. But like many other trend-setting examples, IPL has once again proved to be a trend-setter in the Indian professional sports scene.

IPL has grown to become a better platform to provide business opportunities for Insurance companies in India. Two major players in the Indian Insurance industry have been doing big business in the sport insurance sector in India. they are National Insurance Co. Ltd and Oriental Insurance. Some news about these two companies are below

#1. National Insurance Co. Ltd has agreed to provide a record Rs.900 crore cover against any loss of advertisement revenue to Multi Screen Media Pvt. Ltd
#2.Cricket players gets covered, with Sachin Tendulkar being covered for Rs.44.97 crore by National Insurance Co. Ltd
#3.Oriental has provided insurance cover to five IPL teams

The insurance covers for the telecast and players prove the point, that they consider cricket as an Industry. The insurance covers are also an indicative estimate of the projected ad-revenue by Multi Screen Media Pvt. Ltd. The increase in the insurance cover from Rs.400 crore to Rs.600 crore, shows that the ad revenues have sky rocketed within a season.

The Challenge is a programme which tests a player’s ability in dribbling, passing and shooting. Students from 100 schools took part.

The Chennai leg of the skills challenge, aimed at identifying ten of Chennai’s most technically sound players from over 100 schools in the City, drew some 250 participants between the ages of 10 and 12 who went through three fundamental drills — dribble duel, the defender and gauntlet.

Five boys and an equal number of girls from each school will be selected for the National round to be held in May.

Participants were awarded points in each one of these drills and ten lucky players will get a chance to make it to the National finals in Mumbai. Two winners at the end of a two-month long programme will receive an all-expense paid trip to attend an NBA game in the United States

The event is sponsored by Hindustan University in memory of its founder Dr.KCG Verghese. The renowned educationist was one of the founding members of the club. They have been sponsoring the previous editions of this tournaments as well.

This leg of the Futures series in India has attracted a strong field with Danai Udomchoke being the highest ranked player in the draw. This edition has attracted 10 players in the top 600 in ATP  and features all the leading lights from India in the domestic circuit as well. The Indian challenge is led by Karan Rastogi.

Troy Justice

Troy Justice, the Director of NBA-India operations was in Chennai to attend the felicitation of Geethu Anna Jose. The function was held to felicitate Geethu on her trip to the WNBA try outs in USA. Troy Justice was the chief guest of the function. After gracing the function with his presence, he stepped out of the hall to hit the court for a practice session with Geethu. He also gave some training tips for the players who were training at the Hindustan University basketball courts. After the practice session, he sat with me for an interview session. I hope he hasn’t got pissed off with me for the interview session, as he was swatting mosquitoes all through the interview. And after some few questions, we decided to take a walk, and there he was, still answering my questions, but the only thing missing were those mosquitoes which were disturbing him from answering my questions.

Now, here’s the transcript of the interview session I had with Troy Justice, none other than the main man behind the smooth operations of NBA in India for the past one and half years, since NBA rolled out its operations in India.

About your visit to Chennai?

It’s my fifth visit to Chennai. I came here for the first time in 1991, when I brought along a basketball team to play with some teams like IOB, ONGC etc. And my last visit was for the inauguration of the synthetic basketball courts, here at the Hindustan University.

How do you rank Chennai with other cities in terms of basketball?

Chennai is the basketball hot-spot. It’s one of the leaders in the basketball circle. Lots of basketball is played here, more national players are coming up from this city. There is a rich tradition of basketball through out the country, but still Chennai is the leader.

What are the NBA’s plans in India?

We have three different strategies, when it comes to NBA’s activities in India. First, we are focusing on the growth of basketball. We want to spread out the game, hear more basketballs bouncing, and see more kids wearing the jerseys and playing the game. Second, we will be providing opportunities and platform that doesn’t exist now, like the NBA Mahindra challenge and the Train the Trainers programs. And third, we focus on talent spotting. Now we have helped Geethu to get invited for the try outs. We have also spotted Satnam Singh and helping him with his professional career. We have also spotted a player from the Mahindra NBA challenge and made him play the nationals.

What are forthcoming activities in Chennai, that are in the NBA’s calender?

We will be organizing the Junior NBA WNBA skills challenge by next week in Chennai. And the Mahindra NBA challenge is being planned to be organized around August and September.

What’s the focus of NBA now? It’s the grassroots or the professional level?

We are focusing more on grass roots and we are working on a long term plan. Thats where, we are really putting our time and energy. In 5-10 years, basketball can really expand.

IMG Reliance is working on a Pro league. Does NBA also have a similar objective?

All of us are here to grow basketball. It’s good for the growth of the game. I don’t see it as a competition. It’s a joint effort being done in collaboration with BFI. We focus more on Grassroots initiatives like training the coaches, providing the platform for kids in the age group 10 – 12 years to play the game.

Do you see a potential for a Professional league in India?

India has got a strong base for a professional basketball league. It will be a great thing and will help basketball to grow. With a population of 1.3 billion people, there’s more chance of seeing the league shape up in the years to come.

NBA being a commercial entity, can you tell us what are the things that are done in the areas of merchandising?

We have launched the NBA merchandise recently. The NBA jerseys are made available at all Adidas showrooms. But it’s still not available in all the places, and available only in major markets.

How did you pick Geethu and helped her in the selection process for WNBA try outs?

I watched her matches last year. She is a gifted athlete and a hard worker. She’s got everything we look for in a WNBA player. SO we decided to arrange some try outs for her and we approached the teams. That how it happened.

Thanks Troy for your time, in answering the questions and also for arranging try outs for Geethu. Hope to see basketball expand in India, for all the time and effort you put in. Kudos!

Q) How does it feel on being selected for the WNBA try outs?

I am really excited. I never imagined that it will happen so soon. I was often contacting Troy, inquiring about the selection happenings.

Q) What are the teams you will be attending the try outs for?

I will be attending the try outs for three WNBA teams and they are Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks and San Antonio Silver Stars.

Q) Which team was the first team to invite you for the try out?

I received my first invitation for the WNBA try out from Los Angeles Sparks.

Q) Which team will you prefer to play for?

Right now, I am just focusing on better performance in the try outs. It’s just the WNBA, I want to play in.

Q) Who are the people behind this successful process?

I would say, its Troy Justice, Jayasankar Menon, Hindustan University and the BFI.

Q) When are the try outs going to happen?

The dates for the try outs are: 27 & 28th April for Chicago Sky, 30th April & 1st May for Los Angeles Sparks and 3rd & 4th May for San Antonio Silver Stars.

Q) Being invited for the try outs, have you got any further plans regarding your career?

I am planning to take one step at a time, and I am more focusing on the trials now.

All the very best Geethu for your WNBA try outs. .

Geethu Anna Jose

Mr.Ashok Verghese inaugurated the function and he praised Geethu for her performance and wished her luck for her WNBA tryouts. He also thanked and praised Troy Justice for helping Geethu to get invited for the tryouts.

Troy Justice was next invited to speak on the occasion. When asked to give some tips to star hoopster, he said, “Be who you are. Enjoy the process of your journey.” He went on and added “Basketball is a game filled with fun and entertainment, so enjoy playing the game”.

Jayasankar Menon, the former Asian basketball star, congratulated Geethu on her achievement. He praised Geethu and called her the heroine of the moment. He also thanked Troy justice for coming all the way to Chennai for the felicitation of Geethu.

During the end of the function, Mr.Ashok Verghese presented the cheque for Rs.One Lakh and fifty thousand to Geethu.

Geethu Anna Jose

Pepsi’s marketing concept of Bhajji working with his Doosra is past, and the current news is that Reebok has come up with its “teesra” as a part of its marketing initiatives during the World Cup and the IPL 4.

Remember that Roger Federer wonder shot where he hits a cola can off a guy’s head with his precise serve.

The video was leaked over the net & went viral in a matter of hours. Now whether he actually did that or if it was some nice camera work, we’d never know. However, since the video was supposedly made at an actual commercial shoot for Gillette, they gained lot of mileage once it went viral.

Reebok has tried a similar thing with their “teesra” concept. There’s a ‘leaked’ video on youtube which shows Harbhajan Singh bowling a “teesra” delivery, a ball which back-spins or loops back towards the bowler after pitching.

It’s supposedly a video shoot for Reebok’s XperReements promotions, but the premier sports brand has used the social media for its promotions.

It has to be noted that the sports brand has earmarked a major share of its marketing budget on World Cup and IPL 4.

Now with this viral video of Reebok’s XperReements promotions, it is shown that the major advertisers and sponsors will be turning to the social and digital media to supplement their marketing efforts.

The members who were elected as office bearers and executive members of BFI, have various different basketball credentials, including former national and international players, national and international coaches, and national and FIBA international referees.

Source: indiabasketball.org [BFI website]

It was a wonderful evening for the audience as the IOB played against Chennai Customs on the final day of the league.

IOB started the match scoring two points, withing the first minute of the match. But the mighty IOB team displayed a less performance against Customs, as it wen down 12-23 in the first quarter. Even though IOB took a lead of 28-27 during the second quarter, Customs displayed a wonderful act and again took a lead of 36-34. There after, there was no turning back for the Customs team, as it was leading in the third quarter and finished the second half of the match with an overall score of 74-72.

Even though the IOB was confirmed of the title, the loss did an enormous damage to its reputation as a mighty team in India. IOB won all its previous 8 matches in the league, and in the final day, one could see the local crowd cheering for the Chennai Customs, as they were on their way to become the first team to defeat IOB in the league.

S. Chandrasekaran, GM and Secretary, IOB Sports Board, gave away the prizes in the presence of R. Perisami, Commissioner of Customs (Air-Cargo).

Martin Conlon (born January 19, 1968 in the Bronx, New York) is a former professional basketball player whose career in the National Basketball Association lasted from 1992 through 2000.

The two day program concentrated on basic fundamental skills, including ball handling and dribbling, passing, shooting, one-on-one offensive moves, footwork and rebounding.

On the first day of the program, Marty taught the basic drills and demonstrated the skills challenge. He worked on the “strength and conditioning for basketball” on the day2.

The clinic concluded with a question-and-answer period with Marty, where he answered all the questions raised by the participants.

“I was really excited about Chennai”, Joel said on Friday. “The weather is great, the hospitality was excellent and the participants response was good.”

Marty provided words of encouragement to the participants, reminding them of the hard work and constant practice it takes to develop into a better coach.

This program is for ALL coaches and physical education instructors who work with 10 – 12 year old kids.

The program will culminate in a national competition for all kids participating. The winner of the competition will win an all expenses paid trip to the US to watch the NBA.

Vinoth of Chennai Customs scored 16 points, helping his team to defeat their rivals with a stunning difference of 19 points.

The results:

Chennai Customs 70 (Parthiban 15, Saravaranarajan 14, Vinoth 16, Ramakrishnan 10) bt TN State Police 51 ( Dinesh Kumar 29, Ramesh 10);

Indian Bank 82 (Amarnath Gopi 22, Senthil Murugan 17, Carmel Joseph 18, Puvaneswaran 12) bt Gopalapuram BC 58 (Vignesh Muralidharan 18, James 11, Seenivasan 10);

BSNL (Chennai) 53 (Delhiraj 22, Saravana Kumar 16) bt State Bank 28 (Soundararajan 10);

ICF 52 (Thanvagelu 11, Akilan 17, Ashwin 10) bt Southern Railway 44 (Bernard Philips 12, Venkatesh 10, Navaneethan 10) .

In the second match of the day, Integral Coach Factory  defeated Gopalapuram BBC, 69-58 .

The scores:

Indian Bank 59 (Carmel Joseph 13, Lokesh Yadav 14) bt State Police 47 (Ramesh 11, Harish 13, Dinesh Kumar 10).

ICF 69 (Akilan 15, Babukumar 15, Thangavelu 12) bt Gopalapuram 58 (James 14, Seenivasan 13, Yazar 22).

Chennai Customs played its class in the IOB-CDBA-Level 1 basketball league championship for the Ponappa Nadar Trophy with a stunning 75-36 win over State Bank of India on Sunday.