ESPN DEDICATES MULTIFUNCTIONAL SPORTS SPACE IN BANGALORE, INDIA
Bandepalya celebrates the opening of a new Safe Space to play sports.
The Space will be home to sustainable programs teaching young people life-skills through sports.
Community leaders, local residents, and youth gathered in Bandepalya, Bangalore, on Thursday to participate in the opening of a new multifunctional sports court dedicated to the local community and its residents. The global project, led by ESPN, has seen community spaces created across Latin America. Bangalore is the first city in Asia to benefit from ESPN’s safe spaces initiative.
Young people from Bandepalya performing Bharathanathyan, a traditional dance, to celebrate the official opening of the new community sports space.
The court and surrounding area was refurbished with the help of community members along with ESPN and Disney employees. It will be home to ongoing development programs for young people in the community aimed at teaching life-skills and empowering them to fulfil their potential, all through the power of sports. The program will be delivered by Magic Bus, a non-profit organization with its roots firmly set in India. Magic Bus will strive to equip children and young people of Bandepalya with the essential skills and knowledge to be able to break the cycle of poverty, take control of their lives and become active members of their community. These life skills – ranging from education and gender equality to health and employability – will be taught by youth leaders from within the community, with support and training from Magic Bus’ unique mentorship program.
ESPN, Magic Bus, Love.Futbol, Ashwini Nachappa and community leaders inagurate the new multifunctional sports court.
The inaugural event, hosted by ESPN India presenter, Raunak Kapoor and Indian radio host, Monita Bala, was attended by Russell Wolff, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, ESPN International, Ramesh Kumar, Vice President, ESPN India and South Asia and Ashwini Nachappa, former athlete and an Indian film actress from Karnataka as well as community volunteers who helped build the space, local residents and their families; ESPN and Disney employees; and community sports and arts organizations. The celebration included cultural performances, special recognition of community leaders who volunteered their time to the project, as well as football and cricket matches open to the community.
“At ESPN we believe that sports has the ability to transform lives, and we are proud to be able to support and empower communities like Bandepalya to unlock the benefits that sports offer,” said Russell Wolff. “Both love.fútbol and Magic Bus have been outstanding partners on this project, helping build this safe space in a community where there is a need and where it can truly make a difference.”
Russell Wolff, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, ESPN International talking about the way sport can empower communities.
Bandepalya is spread over approximately two kilometers, has a population of more than 7,000 people and is one of the most economically disadvantaged areas in Bangalore. It suffers from low access to quality education, health and hygiene, adequate housing, clean drinking water, sanitation and open spaces to play. With high dropout rates from school, an average child in Bandepalya only achieves education up to eighth grade standards. The area also has high levels of tobacco and alcohol use amongst children at an early age. Matthew Spacie, Founder and Executive Chairman, Magic Bus, said, “Providing a space around which the community can come together alongside structured sports program that will engender leadership and life-skills is an attempt to support the community in facing and overcoming some of the challenges with which it is confronted.”
love.fútbol, which is known to build community sports facilities all over the world, played a key role in selecting Bandepalya for the new play space and court based on need, population and socio-economic status. “Bangalore is home for many of us at ESPN. This safe space is not merely the construction of a sports court for a part of our community, but a space that aims to engage our neighbors in Bandeplaya from its initial creation. We want the Bandepalya community to have a true sense of ownership that enables sustainable growth and impactful outcomes into the future. Volunteers from the local community, non-governmental organizations, as well as ESPN and Disney employees have come together to contribute to the building of this space and we are extremely proud to help make it a reality,” said Ramesh Kumar. “This initiative is another way that ESPN is contributing towards the larger goal of using the power of sports to make a difference in the communities we are a part of."
Ramesh Kumar, Vice President, ESPN India, talks about what this new space means for India, for Bangalore, and for the youth in the community.
Contacts:
thinkBeyond – Radha Balani – [email protected]
ESPN – Priyank Dubey – [email protected]
Edelman India – Sharwari Paranjape – [email protected]
Notes to Editors:
ESPN Corporate Citizenship: ESPN believes that, at its very best, sports uplifts the human spirit. Its corporate citizenship programs use power of sport to positively address society’s needs through strategic community investments, cause marketing programs, collaboration with sports organizations and employee volunteerism, while also utilizing itsdiverse media assets. For more information please go to www.espn.com/citizenship.
ESPN India: India is a key part of ESPN’s growth – in the Asia-Pacific region and globally – and its presence in the country is powered by the potent combination of ESPN’s leadership in digital sports and its long-term SONY ESPN collaboration with Sony Pictures Networks India.
At the core of ESPN’s strategy in India and the subcontinent is serving the massive and vibrant sports fan community with entertaining, insightful and high-quality products and content across digital devices and television. With offices in Bangalore and Mumbai, it boasts a world-class team that includes technologists, developers, editors, journalists and more that make up ESPN’s largest technology and digital editorial teams outside the United States.
ESPNcricinfo, already the ultimate destination for authentic, unbiased cricket news, analysis, statistics and scores, continues serving Indian cricket fans as it has for nearly 25 years.
love.fútbol: love.fútbol creates community soccer fields that act as community centers and catalysts for sustainable social change. They partner with communities to plan, build and manage low-resource, high-impact fields that encourage informal, creative soccer, act as hubs for social programs, generators of social enterprise and provide authentic, highly-visible touch points for brands. They have worked in some of the most difficult conditions across Latin America.
Magic Bus: Magic Bus is one of the largest poverty alleviation programs in India, working with more than 400,000 children and 9,000 trained volunteer mentors in 22 States and 68 Districts of the country. We work with some of India’s poorest children and young people, taking them from a childhood full of challenges to a life with meaningful livelihoods. We equip young people with the skills and knowledge they need to grow up and move out of poverty.
ESPN Talent - Biographies
RUSSELL WOLFF
Russell Wolff was promoted from senior vice president to executive vice president in November 2004. He has served as managing director of ESPN International since June 2002. He is based in ESPN International’s New York City headquarters and reports directly to John Skipper, President, ESPN and co-chair, Disney Media Networks.
Wolff is fully responsible for all of ESPN’s international businesses in over 61 countries and territories across all seven continents, which include partial or whole ownership of 24 networks televised outside of the United States, a broad portfolio of leading online and mobile brands and services, and radio businesses in five countries. He also oversees a variety of ancillary international businesses including consumer products, broadband and syndication.
Among his accomplishments with ESPN, Wolff has been responsible for guiding ESPN’s digital expansion including the launch of broadband platforms across the world and the growth of leading websites such as ESPNFC, ESPNCricinfo.com, ESPNscrum.com, ESPNF1.com, ESPN.com, and ESPN.com.br – ESPN Brasil’s portal.
Wolff also spearheaded a project to establish ESPN’s first branded television network in Europe and the growth of networks in the rest of the EMEA region. In July 2013, he oversaw ESPN International’s strategic refinements to the company’s15-year old businesses in the region, that led to a brand licensing agreement with BT Sport to own and operate the UK and Ireland ESPN-branded channel; the rest of ESPN networks in Africa, the Middle East, the UK and Ireland went off air that same month. The refocus has resulted in an emerging multimedia business that successfully operates digital products and television syndication.
As executive vice-president, Wolff has also been a key driver of ESPN’s continued growth and leadership in Latin America. Under his direction, the company has grown into a multimedia business that includes 13 television networks, the most diverse portfolio of programming and sports events, and the operation of production facilities and offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico to further localize the business offerings.
Wolff first joined ESPN International in 1997 as vice president, managing the company’s business interests in the Pacific Rim. In 1998, he joined ESPN Star Sports, as vice president of programming and event management and was later promoted to senior vice president. Wolff returned to ESPN in 2000 as senior vice president to manage programming, marketing, and the company’s businesses in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
After graduating from Dartmouth College with an A.B. degree in 1989, Wolff began his career at the Leo Burnett Company in Chicago (1989-1992). Shortly afterwards, he returned to Dartmouth and received his M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration. From 1994 to 1997, he worked at MTV Networks as director, market development, handling affiliate sales and marketing to alternative distributors for MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and Nick at Nite’s TV Land.
Wolff serves on the boards of CTV Specialty Television, Inc. and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He also serves as an advisor on the television council of FIBA, the international Basketball Federation.
RAMESH KUMAR
Ramesh Kumar is the Vice President, Head of ESPN India and South Asia, a role he has held since December 2015. In this position, Kumar oversees all day-to-day operations of ESPN’s multimedia business and helps drive the strategic growth of ESPN in India and the subcontinent.
Kumar is responsible for the continued growth and development of ESPN’s multi-year, multimedia SONY ESPN agreement with Sony Pictures Networks. That includes driving the strategic collaboration behind SONY ESPN television channels and ESPN’s co-branded multisport site (ESPN.in) and app in India. He leads ESPN’s team of more than 130 staff in the region, with offices in Bangalore and Mumbai, including content, editorial, technology, sales and marketing teams.
Additionally, Kumar is responsible for driving the growth of ESPNcricinfo – India’s, and the world’s, leading multimedia cricket brand – both in India and globally, working closely with ESPN’s management, advertising and digital media groups around the world.
Kumar reports to Russell Wolff, Executive Vice President, ESPN International and continues to be a part of ESPN’s regional Asia Pacific leadership team, working for Mike Morrison, Vice President, ESPN Asia Pacific.
Prior to his current role, Kumar was Head of ESPNcricinfo and ESPN Digital Media India since September 2012. In that role, he was responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day business and operations for ESPN’s digital business in the Indian market – where ESPN’s leading online and mobile brands and services have made it the leading digital sports publisher in the market. He also previously served as senior commercial and sales director, International Digital Media, ESPN India.
Kumar has been involved in the digital media and Internet industry in India for nearly 15 years, drawn to it by of the potent mix of technology, its dynamic nature and the opportunities in deliver products for a demanding consumer audience on a daily basis. Prior to ESPN, Kumar worked at the Tata Group supporting new projects and also held roles as a strategic consultant to leading corporations, focused on advisory and implementation support in the areas of market entry, diversification, growth and new business. In those roles he delivered guidance in development and structuring of business models in fast-changing business environments.
Kumar is an IIT-ian (alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology) and a native of Bangalore. He is based in ESPN’s Bangalore office.
KEVIN MARTINEZ
Kevin Martinez, ESPN’s vice president of corporate citizenship, oversees all aspects of the company’s citizenship initiatives including corporate giving, volunteerism, cause marketing and sustainability.
A 25-year industry veteran, Martinez is responsible for ESPN’s strategic programs that enable both greater access to sports and leadership through sports. He leads ESPN’s sponsorship of Special Olympics, which has helped nearly one million athletes, teammates and coaches join the Unified Sports movement.
Additionally, Martinez manages ESPN’s ongoing collaboration and fundraising efforts with The V Foundation, which have generated more than $25 million toward cancer research programs since 2011. He also successfully launched the inaugural Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards, celebrating and honoring athletes, teams and nonprofits for using the power of sports to make a positive impact on society.
ESPN named Martinez vice president, corporate citizenship, in February 2013. He joined the company in 2011 as senior director, corporate outreach, where he led the company’s global volunteerism efforts and cause-marketing projects.
Prior to ESPN, Martinez served as executive director, corporate social responsibility, for KPMG where he led efforts to integrate philanthropy, the KPMG Foundation, sustainability and global development. Martinez previously served as president of The Home Depot Foundation and vice president of community affairs, leading a 20-member North American community affairs team and managing global giving strategies including their nationally recognized response to disasters.
From 2001-2004, Martinez worked for the Starbucks Coffee Co. as senior manager, community affairs, and from 1999-2001 he managed national community and civic affairs for Eddie Bauer Co. From 1996-1999, he served as director, community relations, in the King County (Washington) Executive Office, and from 1993-1996 he was executive director of marketing programs for the Seattle Aquarium Society. In 1988, Martinez served as assistant director of marketing programs for the Seattle Organizing Committee of the 1990 Goodwill Games.
Martinez and his team have received numerous industry awards, including The Cause Marketing Forum’s highest award, “The Halo Award” twice, a Gold CLIO Award, a Telly Award, the US Chamber’s Award for Corporate Citizenship, the Association of Cable Communicators’ prestigious Beacon Award and the 2006 Large Corporation of the Year Award from the Corporation for National Community Service and Points of Light Institute.
A native of ‘Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Martinez graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor of arts degree in communications and advertising.
RAUNAK KAPOOR
Raunak Kapoor, lawyer by qualification and Sports Presenter & Commentator by profession, completed his schooling from Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai, in 2006. An avid debater and speaker through his school and college days, he bagged several awards at the National Level, including the best speaker award at the Frank Anthony Memorial All-India Debate Competition in 2005.
He secured his LL.B. from Government Law College, Mumbai, in 2013, following which, he combined two of his three main passions, cricket and speech, to become a Sports Presenter and Anchor, first at All India Radio (where he also covered politics, law and the daily news), and subsequently at ESPNcricinfo (Digital) and ESPN International (Television).
During this period, he covered major sporting events like the ICC World Twenty20, the ICC Cricket World Cup, the Indian Premier League, the Davis Cup (Tennis) among others having interviewed and worked with some of the greats of the game along the way including Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Ian Chappell, Michael Holding, Martin Crowe, VVS Laxman, Mahela Jayawardene, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Sanjay Manjrekar, Ajit Agarkar, Michael Bevan, Jonathan Trott, Shaun Tait, Brad Hogg, Leander Paes, Pullela Gopichand & PV Sindhu.
In 2015, he was selected on All India Radio’s National Panel of English Commentators for Tennis, Cricket & Football and has covered the South Asian Games Guwahati-Shillong 2016, Rio Olympics 2016, Davis Cup 2016-17 & the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
After debuting for TV overseas, Kapoor is at present the principal Presenter for ESPN India, hosting ESPNcricinfo’s flagship Live Studio Show, ‘ESPNcricinfo Match Day (formerly ESPNcricinfo Match Point)’ among other ESPN original programming for ESPNcricinfo, ESPN.in and Sony ESPN for Indian TV audiences, including a first of its kind IPL-Breakfast analysis+fantasy show ‘The Friendly Toast’, a Social Media special titled ‘Both Ends’, a quirky take where he debates himself on current cricket issues, the annual ESPNcricinfo Awards and most recently, ESPNcricinfo’s weekly Television show for Sony Six, ‘ESPNcricinfo Turn & Bounce.’
He also hosts, year after year, as quizmaster, the final rounds of Cric IQ, ESPNcricinfo’s Quiz Competition, now in it’s sixth season, as well as corporate shows, product and book launces for major brands and companies, and panel discussions on sport, politics, law and education.
His parallel passion lies in education and specifically, schools. He remains connected with his alma mater even today as President of the Jamnabai Narsee Alumni Association and a member of Jamnabai Narsee School’s Advisory Board. He’s been credited with the huge success over the years of JNAA’s annual inter-school cultural festival, Cascade, having served as Chairperson of the event for 3 consecutive years from 2008-2010. He also coaches and mentors students at the school and college level for debates, group discussions, Model UNs and the art of public speaking. Some of the institutions he’s worked/spoken at include IIM Bangalore, IIT Bombay, SVKM’s NMIMS, TCET, GLC Mumbai, Jamnabai Narsee School, the Euro School group, St. Mary’s ICSE, Christ Church School and Lit-O-Fest, Mumbai.
While off camera and away from schools and live events, he spends most of his time reading, writing, trying his hand at improvisational comedy, following Arsenal Football Club, and admiring Roger Federer.
ASHWINI NACHAPPA
Athlete, social worker, educationist and sporting crusader. Ashwini Nachappa remains one of India’s champion athletes and a forthright crusader for her sport as an administrator and a spokesperson. She competed through the 1980s and was a contemporary of PT Usha, forming part of one of India’s most memorable relay quartets at the Asian level.
Ashwini competed and won medals in the Asian Games, the Asian Track & field Meet and the South Asian Games as sprinter and a long jumper and also represented India at the world championships. She has received several state and national level sporting awards including the Arjuna Award for her contribution to Indian athletic.
An outspoken and flamboyant athlete during her career, she was often called the FloJo of India and remains one of the very few athletes to have beaten Usha on the track on two occasions. After her competitive career, Ashwini has been an active social worker and educationist. She is one of the founders of the Karumbiah’s Academy for Learning and Sport in Gonikoppal in south Kodagu. She is also currently the president of the Bangalore Urban District Athletics Association and one of the founders of the Clean Sports India, which aims to increase athletes’ involvement in sports administration and work towards a dope-free Indian sporting ecosystem.
Among her other interests, Ashwini has also acted in films, particularly in Telugu, including her own biographical film titled ‘Ashwini’, for which she received Andhra Pradesh’s Nandi Award for excellence in Telugu cinema, for the best debut performance by an actress.
MONITA BALA
A radio jockey by profession, Monita has done over 1000 + shows ON AIR and Live. She is very passionate towards her work and that’s what drives her to deliver her best, every time. Sports, politics and current affairs, music and art are some of her areas of interest. A self-claimed food critic she is energetic and lively. Monita is a pet lover and a believer of 'all things equal'.