Grassroots are no longer only about participation; they are now emerging as a viable commercial prospect, thanks to advances in technology, infrastructure, CSR initiatives, and increased consumer interest.
Sportz Village, one of the country’s premier sports education and grassroots development enterprises, has led the way in this change. Founded in 2003, Sportz Village is India’s largest grassroots school sports organisation, building scalable business models at the intersection of sport, education and social impact. Backed by Gaja Capital, the organisation has impacted over 60 lakh children through partnerships with 18,000+ schools across 22 states, while expanding its presence to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
In an exclusive interview with SportsMint Media, Mr Saumil Majmudar, Founder and CEO of Sportz Village, discusses the company’s business model, expansion into international markets, asset optimisation, the role of technology, and why building a sustainable sports economy starts with local communities rather than large sponsors.
1. India has seen a surge in sports participation after the pandemic. From your perspective, what has changed in the grassroots sports ecosystem over the last few years?
The biggest shift is that people have started valuing sports beyond competition. Parents today see sports as an important part of a child’s overall development rather than just a pathway to becoming a professional athlete. Schools are also investing more in structured sports programmes, and governments as well as corporates have begun recognising the social impact sports can create.
At Sportz Village, we’ve seen this first-hand through increasing demand for structured physical education, after-school programmes and sports infrastructure utilisation.
2. Sportz Village operates across schools, communities and sports venues. Can you explain your business model?
Our model has three parts. The first is private schools, where parents pay the school and the school engages us to deliver structured sports programmes. The second is government schools, where either the government or CSR partners fund our programmes. The third is Arena, our own sports facilities where people can book courts, join academies or simply come and play after school hours.
Each model has different funding sources, but the objective remains the same—getting more children to play sports.
3. CSR has become a significant contributor to grassroots sports. What kind of outcomes are companies looking for today?
Companies today don’t just want participation numbers. They want measurable impact. We’ve seen improvements in school attendance, social and emotional learning, girl empowerment and community engagement. Different organisations measure different parameters, and we align our programmes with those objectives to deliver meaningful outcomes.
4. Asset optimisation is becoming a major topic in sports infrastructure. How important is this opportunity?
Building new sports infrastructure is exciting, but it’s also extremely capital intensive. The bigger opportunity lies in making existing assets more productive. Think about Airbnb; it is the world’s largest accommodation provider without owning hotels. Uber is the world’s largest transportation platform without owning cars.
Similarly, we don’t own sports grounds. We partner with schools, help them improve utilisation during and after school hours, and create sports experiences around those existing assets.
5. What role does technology play in improving utilisation and monetisation?
Technology works on two levels. On the customer side, it helps users discover venues, view ratings and find people to play with. Behind the scenes, technology is even more important. Today we conduct nearly 6,000 PE classes every day, reaching around two lakh children. Our backend systems monitor every class, curriculum delivery, missed sessions, weather disruptions and recovery schedules. This operational technology enables us to scale while maintaining quality and customer satisfaction.
6. Beyond participation, how does the commercial model work for Sportz Village?
Our revenues come from multiple sources. Private schools engage us through multi-year contracts. Government bodies and CSR partners fund programmes in government schools. Arena generates revenue through venue utilisation. Because we already have relationships with schools, corporates and communities, our customer acquisition cost remains significantly lower than someone operating an independent sports facility.
7. Where do you see the biggest commercial opportunity for Sportz Village over the next few years?
The opportunity is enormous. Today we work with around 300 private schools, but India has more than 33,000 CBSE, ICSE and IB schools alone. That means we’ve barely scratched the surface. We’re also building digital solutions that allow schools to deliver structured physical education through their own teachers, almost like an Uber platform for PE educators. At the same time, we’re expanding athlete pathways, from schools to academies, development centres and high-performance programmes, creating a structured journey for young athletes.
8. Sportz Village has expanded into the UAE and Saudi Arabia. What lessons from India are transferable internationally?
One major difference is that parents in the Middle East already understand the value of sports and are willing to pay for quality experiences. Our focus there is primarily on after-school programmes and venue utilisation rather than in-school PE. We’re also seeing growing demand for sports scholarships, particularly pathways into US universities, which is becoming increasingly relevant for Indian parents as well.
9. India often talks about becoming a global sporting nation. What needs to happen to build a multi-billion-dollar grassroots sports economy?
Two things need to happen. First, more people need to play sports. Second and equally important, people need to watch grassroots sports. If local school tournaments regularly attract audiences of 500 or 1,000 people, sponsors will naturally follow. The problem today is that we expect sponsors to create audiences, whereas in reality, sponsors follow audiences. Grassroots sport ultimately thrives on community participation.
10. Many believe only cricket attracts crowds. Can other sports build sustainable ecosystems too?
Absolutely, but the community has to take the first step. Many football fans watch Manchester United or Chelsea every weekend, but they don’t attend local football matches in their own neighbourhoods. If supporters genuinely care about growing a sport, they need to show up for local games. Once audiences are present, sponsors, broadcasters and investors will follow.
We’ve already seen examples where hyperlocal sponsors, restaurants, cafés and neighbourhood businesses, support community tournaments because local audiences exist. The solution doesn’t begin with corporates; it begins with communities.
11. Finally, what is your long-term vision for Sportz Village?Sportz Village
Our vision is to build the bridge between school sports and elite performance. India has programmes at the grassroots and organisations supporting Olympic athletes, but there’s still a gap in the middle. We want to create sustainable pathways that help children progress from school competitions to academies, high-performance centres and eventually national representation, while working alongside governments, schools and CSR partners to make that journey accessible and scalable.
