By Ganesh Bhatt

New Delhi, Apr 23 (IANS): To connect sports with education, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) has taken a major initiative to add Sports Management to the curriculum of IIMs.

Various courses are designed like Sports Event Manager, Sports Marketing, Sports Agent, Sports Talent Manager, Support Analyst, Media & Communication Manager.

According to experts, these courses are currently new in India, but in future, from Olympics to other national and international competitions, the benefits of this training will be seen.

IIM Rohtak is the first to design international level courses in sports management.

According to IIM Rohtak, international experts have also been included in this initiative. Faculties with expertise in the domain of Sports Management from international universities like University of San Francisco, University of Ulster (UK), Leeds Beckett University (UK), University of Zurich (Switzerland), University of Porto (Portugal), University of New Haven (US), and University of Helsinki (Finland), are associated with the IIM.

IIM Rohtak told IANS that eminent sports personalities like Ayaz Memon, Niraj Kumar, Jeev Milkha Singh, Rishi Narayan and Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi are also providing their expert guidance in training and are academic advisors to the programme.

Michael Godman, Guest Faculty, IIM Rohtak and Associate Professor, Sports Management Programme, University of San Francisco, told IANS, "Sports Management is a very broad and in-depth preparation to contribute to the sports industry."

"The business of sports is growing, especially in this dynamic sector as an emerging market that demands professionals who are able to compete off the field, just as athletes do on the field. Through my participation in this programme, I am seeing the next generation of India's sports business leaders developing the necessary skills, knowledge, attitude and network," he added.

IIM Rohtak Director Prof Dheeraj Sharma told IANS, "The sports industry is significant and growing rapidly. The growing need to professionalise the sports industry creates the need for sports management professionals. Sports management professionals are expected to deal with various business aspects of sports and entertainment."

"The Sports Management programme at IIM Rohtak is expected to produce professionals who have competence in various domains such as sports marketing, sports law, sports finance, event management, sports infrastructure management, sponsorship, sports organisations etc. Here scholarship is also being provided to the students associated with this course. This scholarship will encourage more sportspersons to pursue higher education from our institute," he stated.

Prof Dheeraj said that his IIM is offering Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Management. If you have a passion for sports and an aptitude for management, then a career in sports management with IIM Rohtak would be a great opportunity.

Participants of the programme are offered an innovative, specialised curriculum that is at par with any of the best Sports Management courses in the world. This will ensure professional development, networking, and skills in areas such as sports finance, sports law, sports marketing and business, and special events. Scholarship will also be available for selected participants who have represented India in Asian, Commonwealth, Olympic events etc.

IIM has designed a 2-year Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Management. To apply for its third batch, one must possess a bachelor's degree (in any discipline), have interest in sports and be able to perform. Candidates can apply for this till July 18. The selection process will consist of Sports Assessment Aptitude Test (Online Mode) and Online Personal Interview.

Participants will have the opportunity to pursue an M.Sc in Sports Management from the University of Ulster upon successful completion of this programme. Apart from a 60 credit Sports Consultancy Project (to be covered over a period of approximately 5 months), all courses will count as equivalent to the minimum credit requirement for the award of an M.Sc degree with the University of Ulster.

According to IIM, participants of their previous batches have taken part at national and international level in various sports (cricket, badminton, basketball, tennis and others). They had taken intern assignments in various sporting events (BWF) Super Series, AFC Cup (Asian Football Confederation), Chennaiyin Football Club, and many more.