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Neeraj Sareen is a former junior and amateur golfer from India. He started Sports Mantra in 2003, whose activities include sports marketing, player representation, facilities and event management.
The likes of Anirban Lahiri, Shiv Kapur, Gauri Monga,Chiragh Kumar and Robin Uthappa are managed by Sports Mantra. Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, the first two baseball players from India to feature in first season of Million Dollar Arm are also nurtured by Sports Mantra.
Neeraj has also worked closely with Sir Nick Faldo in developing golf courses in Greater Noida and Lavasa.
We caught up with Neeraj on telephone to discuss about his love for golf and his plans for Indian sports in the long run.
Excerpts:
Q: We learnt that you were into golf and sports in general from very early on in life. Tell us a bit about your early golf memories.
I have very fond memories of golf as a kid. I started playing golf when I was 12 years old. I picked it up because my father and grandfather used to play golf. I used to go to golf courses with them.
My first golf shot was at the Army golf club in Delhi.
My first love, like most Indians was cricket. I took up golf at that point in time as it was the only way I could get a scholarship.
Q: Did you think of becoming a professional golfer then?
Golf was just a means to get scholarship in college. Once I finished my college course, I did try to go professional, but I reached a stage where my golfing career was pretty stagnant. I shot a few under-par rounds, but didn't quite make it.
After that, I decided to start a sports business which would be the next best thing.
Q: Do you remember any special moment when you met your sporting icons?
I remember one instance when I was 15 or 16 years old. I was admitted to a hospital due to fever. I told my grandfather that I want to meet Kapil Dev. He said: Alright, get well. Come home, we will meet Kapil Dev.
It was when Kapil had just picked up his 434th wicket in test cricket. I got back home, my grandfather gave me the Yellow pages book. He asked me to search for Kapil Dev's number, call him and try to meet him. You know it's not that easy. I called the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA), spoke to the president there and his assistant and finally got Kapil's number.
I told Kapil: "Hi Kapil, I am Neeraj here. I would love to meet you. It is my lifetime ambition to come and meet you. "
Kapil said: "No problem. Why don't you come for tea to my place at 5 pm"?
I told my mother that I am going to Kapil Dev's home. My mother said: "I will call Kapil and tell him that you are sick and bedridden for two weeks."
She called Kapil and told him:" My son is sick and cannot leave home. Can you please come to our home?" Kapil replied: "Give me your address. I will be there at 5 pm".
Kapil kept his word and was at our home at 5 pm. He spent close to an hour and a half with us, signed my autograph book. I was a superstar at school the next day!
I will tell you about a similar incident with golfer Sir Nick Faldo. He was always my childhood idol.
It was the year 2000. The Open Championship was played at St. Andrews. I knew the hotel where all players stayed during the Championships.
I called up the hotel and asked the staff to connect me to Sir Nick. The phone kept ringing, but there wasn't any response from Sir Nick. The staff asked me to call back at 7 am the next morning.
I did call at 7 am (11:30 am India time). The operator connected me to Sir Nick's room. A very sleepy Nick answered the call. I wished him all the best for Round 4 of the Championships and told him that I was a huge admirer of his game. My goal is to meet you one day.
To Nick's credit, he gave his number, e-mail id and asked me to keep in touch.
Q: You have worked with six-time major winner Nick Faldo to develop golf courses in Greater Noida and Lavasa. What are the insights that he shared with you which can be implemented for the betterment of Indian golf.
He felt that India and China are untapped markets as far as golf is concerned. We would love to see golf grow in these two countries in the long run. Golf course design business was doing well. It was all about meeting the right people, choosing the right piece of land, infrastructure needed to set up a golf course.
Sir Nick believed in the idea of India producing great golfers and invested in our country.
Q: Your thoughts on what India should do to be successful at the Olympics in say..next 20 years
The government should support every sport that has made it to the Olympics. Indian golfers, who are probables for the Olympics should get all the infrastructure and the help they need to perform well for the nation.
The government should free up more public land so that more people can take up golf in the future.
Talking about sports in general, I think India should concentrate on improving all sports from the grassroots level. The local bodies should be strong and more involved. They should get in more money to the sport, hire international coaches.
Athletes should also get more exposure to international sports, events. Technically, we should be doing really well in Olympics as our population is the second highest in the world. Football is a prime example of India not following a grass roots strategy to develop in the future. That is where the disconnect is which is preventing India from India winning, say 30-40 gold medals.
Should we be happy if India wins 10 or 12 medals at the Olympics? We should be doing much better than that.
We should follow the footprint of American sport. They have the right structure from school.
Q: Shiv Kapur is one of India's finest golfers at the moment. You have known him for a long time. Kapur has already played in 2 majors. What was it like competing against him?
I manage both Shiv Kapur and Anirban Lahiri, who qualified for the US Open this year. Me and Shiv played a lot of golf together. I am happy for Shiv for making it to the highest level.
I caddied for Shiv in over a 100 events and learnt a lot. It was a great experience. I made a lot of international contacts at the time, grew as a person.
Q: Where do you see Indian golfers lacking as compared to their counterparts from across the world and what should they do to make it to majors on a regular basis?
We need to expose our golfers to the highest level of the sport at both the juniors and amateur level, which we are currently not doing. We should open our doors for International coaches to come and train us, share their wealth of experience with Indian coaches.
Our golfers will learn to perform under pressure. In order for that to happen.we should make golf courses that are accessible for public to play golf.
The government must step in and make that a viable option with the support of local bodies.
Q: What are your plans for sports in India for the long term?
My next 2-year goal is to get the first National football league (NFL) game in India. I am a big fan of the NFL. It is way beyond the planning stage at the moment.
I want to see my favorite team in the NFL, the Detroit Lions play in Delhi. Imagine the Detroit Lions taking on the New England Patriots in Delhi. It would be amazing!
Q: What are the future plans for your company in terms of new areas of operation?
My business is centred around quality rather than quantity. I believe in doing something different. Be in NFL, Million Dollar Arm,.
My next goal would be to bring NBA MVP Stephen Curry to India.
Q: Talking about World golf, we now have two youngsters as No. 1 and No. 2. Do you think Jordan Spieth can win the Calendar Slam this year?
What Jordan has done this year is phenomenal. Anyone who can putt like that will achieve a lot. Dustin Johnson is one of my favorite players. He was unlucky to miss out at the US Open. Dustin is too good a player not to win a major.
The young players are doing well. It is good for the sport. I still believe Tiger Woods has a major left in him.
Q: Any advice to people interested in starting out as a sports entrepreneur .
Sports business is still at a nascent stage in India. You need to nail down particular things that you will concentrate on when you start off.
There are not many sports agencies in India if you compare it to the United States. I think India would be one of the biggest sports markets in the next five to ten years. This is the right time to be part of the industry.
