ESPN Built to Play Mumbai
PRESS RELEASE
29 May, 2019
ESPN BUILDS AND DEDICATES ITS SECOND MULTIFUNCTIONAL SPORTS SPACE IN INDIA
-Dharavi Transit Camp Municipal School, Mumbai celebrates the opening of the new space to play and learn
-Space will be home to sustainable programs teaching young people life-skills through sports
-Former Indian Cricketers Ajit Agarkar and Murali Kartik and West Indian Cricketer Daren Ganga also join the celebration
All smiles as the new ESPN Built to Play sports space in Dharavi, Mumbai officially opens with a hail of confetti
Mumbai, India: Community leaders, residents and youth gathered in Dharavi, Mumbai today to participate in the opening of a new, multifunctional sports space dedicated to the local community and its residents. Built to Play is a global project, led by ESPN. This is the second Built to Play project undertaken by ESPN in India, following one in Bangalore in 2017, and its ninth globally.
The talented Academy Group performed a lively Maharashtra dance for the crowd
The court and surrounding area, refurbished with the help of community residents and employees, will provide a safe place to play for the surrounding community, as well as offer programs for young people in the community aimed at teaching life-skills and empowering them to fulfill their potential, all through the power of sports.
Magic Bus, a non-profit organization with its roots firmly set in India, will deliver the programs. Magic Bus will strive to equip children and young people of Dharavi 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’s unique mentorship program.
Ramesh Kumar, Vice President ESPN India and South Asia, spoke on why the space was so important for ESPN to build in Dharavi
Ramesh Kumar, Vice President, ESPN India and South Asia; Kevin Martinez, Vice President, ESPN Corporate Citizenship; former Indian cricketers Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik and West Indian cricketer Daren Ganga attended the event along with employees, community volunteers who helped build the space, residents and their families. Raunak Kapoor, ESPN India presenter and RJ Adaa (Priti Jolly), Radio Jockey were the hosts of the day. The celebration comprised cultural performances, special recognition of community leaders who volunteered their time, and sports activities open to the community.
Ajit Agarkar and Daren Ganga, former Indian and West Indian cricketers, pose with young soccer players following the first matches on the new court
“At ESPN we believe that sports have the ability to transform lives, and we are proud to be able to support and empower communities like Dharavi to unlock the benefits that sports offer,” said Kevin Martinez. “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.”
Spanning two kilometers, Dharavi is one of the most densely populated areas in the world with a population estimated at 1 million people. The area is plagued with severe public health problems, and the overall standard of education and enrollment numbers are extremely low, with only a few children opting for higher education. Due to safety issues, many parents hesitate to allow their girls to go out and play. Matthew Spacie, Founder of Magic Bus said, “Through our program we have seen the impact of sports-based learning on individual behavior. But one of the challenges we face are to provide safe play spaces. With this pitch, ESPN and love.fútbol allow us to reach more children who will benefit from our program, helping them to overcome challenges and enabling a better quality of life. We are very thankful to them.”
ESPN India Presenter Raunak Kapoor has fun with the kids in attendance while co-hosting the event
love.fútbol, which is known for building community sports facilities all over the world, played a key role in selecting Dharavi for the new space based on need, population served and socio-economic status.
Speaking on the occasion, Ramesh Kumar, Vice President, Head of ESPN India and South Asia said, “The success of Built to Play is heartening as we extend the program to the second location in India in less than two years. Built to Play is designed to utilize sports as a medium to help address challenges faced by youth in under-served communities. Sports transforms lives and builds communities, it offers social benefits to young people and inspires them to learn and grow. Our partners in this endeavor, love.fútbol and Magic Bus, will work closely with the community in Dharavi to help address social issues through sports. In the first year of the program, we hope to touch the lives of 1,500 young people and then expand the reach further in subsequent years. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your passion become someone else’s passion too."
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CONTACTS:
ESPN: Priyank Dubey - [email protected], 97693 50650
Edelman (for ESPN): Parvathy Premkumar - [email protected], 99300 51060
thinkBeyond: Karen Asare – [email protected]
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Video: Mitesh Mirchandani
Photo: Akash Shah
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONS:
ESPN Corporate Citizenship: ESPN believes that, at its very best, sports uplift the human spirit. Its corporate citizenship programs use the 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 its diverse 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 over 26 years.
love.fútbol: love.fútbol is a non-profit dedicated to a safe place to play soccer for every child. The organization engages, mobilizes and partners with communities to plan, build, manage, and redefine their own sports spaces as hubs for passion, education and development. Since 2006, love.fútbol has partnered with some of the biggest names in the sport, business and non-profit sectors to create safe sports spaces across five continents for nearly 70,000 children, youth and adults to be active, connect, grow and learn.
Magic Bus: From 3000 children in 1999 in Mumbai, Magic Bus has transformed over one million children and young people living in poverty, taking them from a childhood full of challenges to a life with meaningful livelihoods. Magic Bus is one of the largest poverty alleviation programs in India, impacting 3,75,000 children and young people in 22 States and 80 districts of India in FY 18-19. We deliver our sports activity-based sessions in close to 1961 communities and 930 schools in both urban slum clusters and remote rural areas. Since the Livelihood program began in 2015, we have 42 Livelihood centers. We have trained 10,000 youth and placed 70% youth in jobs in the organized sector, career-based trainings or get self-employed, with an average salary of INR 10,287. We also work in Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar with 6000 children, in 40 communities and 31 schools with 81 Community Coordinators.
thinkBeyond: thinkBeyond helps organizations and people that do good, do it better through sport. The agency are global experts in providing consultancy and strategy delivery to brands, sports teams, leagues, federations, talent and governments who want to do good business and create positive social change. Having helped develop the Built to Play initiative with ESPN, thinkBeyond now supports in the implementation of the project around the world.
ESPN LEADERSHIP & TALENT – BIOGRAPHIES
RAMESH KUMAR
Vice President, Head of ESPN India and South Asia
Ramesh Kumar has held the role of Vice President, Head of ESPN India and South Asia since December 2015. In this position, he oversees all day-to-day operations of ESPN’s multimedia business and helps drive the strategic growth of ESPN in India and the subcontinent.
Based out of Bangalore, 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.
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 20 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.
Kumar is an IIT-ian (alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology) and a native of Bangalore.
KEVIN MARTINEZ
Vice President, Corporate Citizenship
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. He was named to this position in February 2013 after joining the company in 2011 as Senior Director, Corporate Outreach, where he led the company’s global volunteerism efforts and cause-marketing projects.
An 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 more than 1.6 million athletes, teammates and coaches join the Unified Sports movement.
Additionally, he manages ESPN’s ongoing collaboration and fundraising efforts with the V Foundation, which have generated nearly $100 million toward cancer research programs. He also successfully launched the inaugural Sports Humanitarian Awards, celebrating and honoring athletes, teams and nonprofits for using the power of sports to make a positive impact on society.
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
Presenter and Commentator, ESPN India
Raunak Kapoor is a lawyer by qualification and Sports Presenter and Commentator by profession. Combining two of his three main passions, cricket and speech, he has become a Sports Presenter and Anchor, first at All India Radio, and subsequently at ESPNcricinfo (Digital) and ESPN International (Television).
Kapoor has covered major sporting events like the ICC World Twenty20, the ICC Cricket World Cup, the Indian Premier League and the Davis Cup, interviewing and working with many greats of the game along the way. 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 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
He is currently the principal Presenter for ESPN India, hosting ESPNcricinfo’s flagship Live Studio Show, ESPNcricinfo Match Day and other 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 Both Ends, the annual ESPNcricinfo Awards and most recently, Sony Six’s weekly ESPNcricinfo Turn & Bounce.
He also hosts, 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.
He is passionate about education. He’s been credited with the huge success of JNAA’s annual inter-school cultural festival, Cascade, having served as Chairperson 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.
Kapoor completed his schooling from Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai in 2006, and secured his LL.B. from Government Law College, Mumbai in 2013.
RJ ADAA (PRITI JOLLY)
Radio Jockey
Priti Jolly, more popularly known as RJ ADAA, has been a Radio Presenter for 10 years. She began her career at RADIO CITY 91.1 FM Mumbai where she hosted the afternoon show, HUM TUM, for 6 years. Towards the end of her time there, she realized how RJs touch so many lives and families and moved on to host and produce the 104.2 YourFm breakfast show in Bahrain. Adaa then returned to Mumbai to join the team that launched an all new Radio Station in Mumbai – RADIO NASHA 91.9 FM.
She currently hosts DHAK EVENINGS with ADAA, which received the 2019 CHAMPION RADIO SHOW - MUMBAI award. Adaa also MC’s, anchors and hosts events, corporate shows, festivals, functions, weddings, various film, music and song trailer launches such as Sui Dhaaga, Guru Randhawa's latest track, Slowly Slowly and many more.