Introduction to the Report
Over the last five years, India’s sports budget has grown by 1.6x, swelling from ~USD 260 million in 2019 to ~USD 405 million in 2024. As part of the National Infrastructure Pipeline, India currently has sports projects worth ~USD 2.39 billion in development. However, the country’s sports budget per capita amounts to USD 0.30 in 2024- which pales in comparison to larger sporting economies, such as the UK (USD 9) and Australia (USD 11).
Since the turn of the century, there has been an increased collaboration between various stakeholders i.e., governments (both at the union and state government levels), sports’ governing bodies, corporates (through CSR programs), corporate sponsors, NGOs working in the field of sport, sporting franchises and athletes to elevate the nation’s sporting landscape. Several success stories in Indian sport have been achieved on the back of improved access to funding, be it through government grants, philanthropic support, corporate social responsibility programs or corporate sponsorships. And yet, the success stories in Indian sport also serve as a reminder that for India to become a “sporting nation” that nurtures both sporting champions as well as a healthy society, there needs to be a synergistic tango between the actors who drive high performance sport, franchise sport and sports for development, and the investors who fuel each of these ecosystems.
Therefore, there will always be a perennial need for investors of all kinds to collaborate and make sustainable investments across all levels of Indian sport in order to address the issues it faces, including poor sports governance, corruption, inadequate access to high-class sporting facilities and nutrition, failure to create a “grassroots sports culture” or playing sports a viable economic and social activity. We believe that a more effective system is needed to connect various types of funders with the appropriate types/levels of sport.
Through this White Paper, we examine how multi-stakeholder collaboration, matching, and funding can be achieved. In addressing the "how," we have highlighted various blended finance strategies and case studies from other social sectors, which could be adapted to raise funds within the Indian sporting ecosystem, whether for developing sports infrastructure, supporting community sports, or striving for Olympic/Paralympic success.
Read on to understand how sport is a virtual greenfield for the development of social finance structures in India, with lessons extending to walks of life beyond the playing fields.
About GameChanger Law Advisors
Our journey as a firm began in October 2011. More than a decade later, we have built a team of seasoned, ambitious, dedicated, dynamic and versatile lawyers.
We have been consistently recognized for our work across industries and practice areas that we have chosen to practice in. We are driven by a desire to innovate, create value, build sustainable partnerships, and to learn, as well as to share knowledge with various stakeholders across the world. Our purpose is clear- we use our legal expertise to enable progress. We believe in the power of law to drive positive change. We take the India Story to the World and bring best practices from around the World to play within the Indian context.
Over the past decade, we have built a highly reputed practice that is focused on India’s social enterprises and impact investing ecosystems. We have partnered with several of the world’s most reputed social enterprises, impact investment funds, social enterprise incubators, impact consulting firms, as well as for-profit and not- for-profit organisations in the education, healthcare, agriculture, livelihoods and skills development sectors.
We are also one of India’s earliest specialist practices dedicated to the field of sports law. Our experience in sports combined with our experience in structuring technology licensing contracts, brand endorsement agreements, sponsorship agreements, player management agreements, venture capital financing transactions, impact investing transactions, and in advising on the law governing social enterprises law enables us to serve the entire spectrum of clients in these industries where we regularly represent sports-themed venture capital funds, sponsors, owners of professional sports teams, social and digital media platforms, sports-tech startups, not-for-profit organizations working in the field of sport, coaches and individual professional athletes. Our attorneys have also written extensively on sports law, and taught courses on sports law and gaming laws at leading law schools and business schools in India.
Based in Bengaluru, India, we have built deep and long -term relationships with clients, business schools, law schools, incubators, accelerators and thinktanks across the globe. Learn more about us at www.gamechangerlaw.com
About Sattva Media and Consulting Private Limited
Founded in 2009, Sattva Consulting is a leading global impact consulting firm that works with communities, business and government to achieve societal impact at scale. Sattva works with social organizations, corporations and funders to help them find their “magic quadrant” where they can maximise their social impact along with economic value. Since its inception, Sattva Consulting has assisted organisations in designing and executing inclusive models that are innovative, economically viable and add equitable value to all the different stakeholders involved in the chain. Sattva Consulting has also partnered/collaborated with foundations, philanthropists, companies, non-profits, multi-laterals and impact ecosystems across India, Africa, and Asia on a collective mission of developing scalable solutions for a sustainable world.
Harnessing the power of ‘Tech for Good’ and committed to their motto of – “Delivering High Impact”, Sattva Consulting’s tech and data products namely India Data Insights – which presents actionable data-driven insights on SDG progress and funding; India Partner Network – which supports non-profits and social enterprises reach their impact goals; and Shift – which helps manage CSR programmes efficiently, thus freeing up people from mundane tasks to focus on real work on the ground, are bringing in a new wave of efficiency and scalability to achieve impact.
Committed to the UN SDG 2030, Sattva Consulting continues to expand its impact footprint through its growing network of clients and partners across CSR, philanthropy, non-profits, social enterprises, government bodies and multilateral agencies, converting action into outcomes across development goals.
Learn more about them at: https://www.sattva.co.in/