SportzVillage was established in 2003 with the philosophy of improving health, fitness and getting everyone to experience the magic of sports. Today, SportzVillage helps create the magic of sports by partnering with schools, governments and corporates.
Sportz Village Schools, formerly known as EduSports, was founded in 2009 with a vision to make sports an integral part of every child's education and upbringing.
The idea of Sportz Village Schools came into existence when Mr. Saumil Majmudar (Co-founder and CEO, SportzVillage) realized that that children were not engaging in enough physical activity and sports.
It all started from a very casual remark from a friend of Saumil that his 6-year-old son was not engaging in enough physical activity and was getting hooked to TV and computers. The parent further observed that there were hardly any avenues for his son to play and mingle with children outside of school.
Clearly, parents wanted their children to play, stay fit and healthy, but there were not enough opportunities for children to have a fun experience around sports.
Even though schools had physical education and sports as a part of their prescribed curriculum and timetable, in most cases, they were not able to deliver the promise of a good physical education and sports program covering all the children. The sports and physical education programs in most schools were neither inclusive nor age-appropriate. Thus, the children were not able to learn the right sports-specific skills at the right age. Hence, Sportz Village Schools was formed with the idea of delivering a holistic education through sports by partnering with schools and completely integrating into the school's system.
By having a first-hand knowledge about how things work at schools, Sportz Village Schools identified the unmet needs that were often not voiced by customers. Additionally, the team also took a conscious call and developed an in-house curriculum, as the team felt that the challenges around infrastructure in India were unique and it required unique solutions.
The organization partners with schools, and completely integrates its program into the school's curriculum. The Sportz Village Schools’ curriculum is designed based on NASPE (National Association for Sports and Physical Education, USA) standards.
Currently, Sportz Village Schools is working with more than 1,200 schools across 250 locations.
Saumil Majmudar
CEO, Sportz Village
An alumnus from IIT Bombay and IIM Bangalore, Saumil is the Co-Founder and CEO of SportzVillage. Over the last decade, Saumil has been working with schools, federations, policymakers and sponsors for creating opportunities for children to experience the magic of sports. He has personally engaged with more than 1,00,000 children and 50,000 parents. He is also the recipient of the prestigious “Emerging Entrepreneur Award” by CII and has been recognized as one of the “Top 50 Leaders Influencing Education” by Education World. An ardent sports lover, Saumil continues to follow his passion for sports through regular badminton, karate and golf sessions.
Parminder Gill
Co-Founder and Head, Sportz Village Foundation
Parminder Gill is the co-founder of Sport Village Schools (a part of SportzVillage Foundation), India’s No.1 sports education organization, which uses sport to drive change in health, education and empowerment levels of (currently over 700,000) school children across the country. Over the past decade, Parminder has advised leading educationists, policymakers and development specialists on how to use sport for achieving educational and development-related outcomes. As one of the country’s leading experts in sports education, Parminder has been invited by CII, FICCI, NITI Aayog and other leading public-private bodies for his inputs on the subject for different programs. He is also a visiting faculty at Azim Premji University, where he teaches a course on sports education at the post-graduate level. Parminder has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Pune, and a Master’s degree in Management from Arizona State University. His interests include running, trekking, golfing and going on long drives. Whenever he gets a chance, he likes to read non-fiction – psychology and philosophy being his favourite subjects. He lives in Bangalore with his wife and two children – who are currently teaching him to play the piano!
Krish Iyengar
Business Head
Krish has more than 2 decades of experience in sales, marketing and general management with several multi-national companies and start-ups. He worked for 10 years at Intel as the Marketing Director for UK and Ireland. An alumnus of SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, he has also worked with Siemens, Arvind Mills and Standard Chartered Bank. As a passionate sportsman, Krish continues to play football, badminton and tennis.
Salim Bharmal
Advocacy Head
Salim Bharmal currently serves as the National Head - Advocacy for Sportz Village Schools. He has 16 years of work experience in sports management and has been working with Sportz Village Schools since its inception. He has a Master's degree in Event Management . Prior to joining Sportz Village Schools, Salim had worked with SportzVillage since its inception and was a part of the core team that developed and managed multiple sports properties. His focus areas are sales and business development. Salim is an avid Cricket, Badminton and Tennis fanatic.
Nauzar Tata
Head – Credit Control and Risk, Regional Head – Karnataka and Kerala
Vengal Rao J
Regional Head – Andhra Pradesh, Telangana State and West India
Vengal is the Regional Head, managing sales and operations for AP, TS and West India. He has a strong understanding of the business in Sportz Village Schools. He has been working with Sportz Village Schools for the last 9 years and has an overall experience of 17 years in the field of IT and Sports education. Vengal has a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Bangalore University and an Advanced diploma in software engineering. He plays badminton and cricket frequently and has represented Bangalore at the district level in football.
Kapil Tuli
Regional Head - North, East and Central India
An IIM Indore alumnus, Kapil holds over 14 years of experience across several verticals such as Business Development, Sales (Corporate/Institutional), P&L Management, Cross Functional Team Building and Management, as well as Strategic Alliances. Over the years, he has successfully led his teams to achieve ‘double-digit’ growth and has consistently won several ‘Business Leader Awards’ on several occasions. A few of his successful stints include FIITJEE Ltd., Oxford University Press (OUP), Educomp Solutions Ltd., Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). Kapil is a trained spiritual and wellness coach as well as involved in various pro-bono social and welfare initiatives. He is also associated with several spiritual organizations such as the Art of Living Foundation, Patanjali Yogpeeth, and Iskon Foundation.
K. Ashok Kumar
Regional Head - Tamil Nadu
K. Ashok Kumar is an alumnus of YMCA, Alagappa and Annamalai University. He holds multiple degrees such as B. A in English, B.P.Ed., M.P.Ed., M.Phil, MS in Psychology and Ph.D. in Physical Education (Pursuing). He is also a certified coach and coordinator for the Real Madrid Foundation in India. Being a sports lover and passionate footballer, he represented Alagappa University in the Inter-University National Football Championship and played several matches for the Central Board of Excise and Customs (Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India) as a guest player. Ashok started his journey as P.E. Director at Lake Montfort School and College, Bangalore. He has been working with Sportz Village Schools, India’s No. 1 sports education organization, as a regional manager for the past eight years. As a part of Sportz Village Schools, he has been working with schools and policymakers to create an environment for children to experience the magic of sports and physical education.
Winner
UBS Forums Corporate Social Responsibility Summit and Awards 2019 'Road to School' - a CSR initiative with Ashok Leyland.
Winner
Brainfeed Innovation Education Awards 2018-19 (South Zone) for 'Best Sports Curriculum Company of the Year'
Winner
Brainfeed Innovation Education Awards 2018-19 (North Zone) for 'Best Sports Curriculum Company of the Year'
Winner
2018 CSR Impact Award for 'Road to School' - a CSR initiative with Ashok Leyland. Category: Education
Winner
Best Sports & PE Company of the year Brainfeed Innovation Education Awards 2017-18.
Bronze winner
7th India Digital Awards 2017 by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) for EduSports Monitoring Platform (EMP).
Category: Digital Social Awards
Subcategory: Best use of Mobile for Social and Economic Development
1st Runners-up
The CSR Journal Excellence Award 2017 for 'Road to School' - a CSR initiative with Ashok Leyland.
Winner
CSR Journal Social Welfare and Growth Awards 2016. Category: Sports
Finalist
Vodafone Foundation Mobile for Good Awards 2015 for EduSports Monitoring Platform (EMP).
Winner
FICCI India Sports Awards 2013 for 'Best Sports Startup'.
Winner
GESS Education Awards 2013 for 'Best Product to Promote Health and Fitness in the Classroom.'
Winner
CII Southern Regional Emerging Entrepreneurs Award 2013.
Winner
Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2012. Category: Education and skill development
Winner
NDTV & Nirmal Lifestyle ‘Spirit of Sport Award 2012’ for promoting sports in schools.
Finalist
TiE-Lumis ‘Excellence in Entrepreneurship’ awards 2011
