Month: December 2024

If you are an athlete pursuing a career in sport, the best possible scenario is to get into a college that offers sports scholarship. Considering career in sports is very short comparing to traditional career, pursuing higher education and earning a degree from a top university can open better avenues post the sports career. Luckily, there are several top Indian universities that offers sports scholarships to athletes.

Benefits Of Sports Scholarship Programs:

• Encourages sports amongst aspiring athletes, also encouraging them to pursue sports as a viable career option.
• Providing the necessary tools for the overall development of athlete.
• Allows the student-athlete to focus on sports, giving them room to grow their sports skills.

Also Read: Balancing Academics And Sports: A Guide For Young Athletes

Top Indian Universities Offering Sports Scholarships

1. University of Delhi (DU)

Delhi University is amongst the best educational institutions in India. Students from all around the world enroll for the various programs that the university offers. Other than quality education, the university also offers sports scholarships to students who have demonstrated exceptional talent in various sports. Amongst many benefits, the university provides financial assistance, hostel accommodations, and access to training facilities. Scholarships are awarded based on performance in sports trials and past achievements.

• Scholarship Criteria: Only those students are eligible for scholarships who represent Delhi University in inter-university sports tournaments.
• Financial Support: University also offer financial support of up to INR 2000 per month.

Also Read: Sports Legends: Icons Who Shaped the World of Sports

2. University of Mumbai

Several colleges in Mumbai offers sports scholarship to deserved students athletes. Colleges affiliated to Mumbai University offer scholarship through sports quota. All students need is to take trails and pass them in order to get benefits under the sports scholarship. It includes financial assistance and access to sports facilities.

• Scholarship Criteria: Only those students who pass the trail and meet the minimum criteria can get the sports scholarship.
• Financial Support: Financial Support: University also offer financial support to deserved athletes.

3. SRM University, Tamil Nadu

SRM University is ranked amongst the very best in India. The university boasts a foreign faculty, as well as a flexible curriculum that caters to the demand of students. SRM university has gained reputation for exceptional academics, world-class facilities, and a lively campus life.

• Scholarship Criteria: SRM university holds trials for students seeking admission under sports quota. Student athletes must register through the online registration form.
• Financial Support: Students may also get financial support.

4. Netaji Subhas National Institute Of Sports

Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NSNIS) is the largest sports institute located in the city of Patiala, Punjab. NSNIS is amongst the finest institution in India which promote sports among students, awarding scholarship to students under its sports quota program.

• Scholarship Criteria: Selection in NSNIS is based on performance and merit. Students seeking admission must have to go through a selection process to obtain sports scholarship.
• Financial Support: No college fee, free accommodation.

5. Amity University, Noida

Amity University is amongst India’s top-class education institution. Not only it provides world-class academic curriculum for students but the university also offer scholarships for talented athletes.

• Scholarship Criteria: Selection is done on the basis sports achievement. Student-athletes must be in possession of a sports certificate, highlighting their participation.
• Financial Support: 100% scholarship for students playing at the international level. 50% scholarship for students for winning a medal and 25% for playing at the national level.

6. Panjab University
Every year Panjab University provides sports scholarships to students athletes, both boys and girls, under its stipend program named Shri G.L. Kohli & Smt. Indravati, Kohli Memorial stipend. The number of stipends offered under this program are four, two each for boys and girls.

• Scholarship Criteria: Scholarship is done on the need-cum-merit basis. As per the criteria, minimum family income for the Endowments on Need-cum-Merit basis should be below Rs. 5 lacs.
• Financial Support: As mentioned above, students athletes get stipends.

7. University of Kerala
From providing financial incentive to hostel accommodation, the University of Kerala offers sports scholarships to athletes who excel in sports. Seats are limited and are filled through a trial.

• Scholarship Criteria: Student must pass the trials conducted by the Kerala University.
• Financial Support: Sports Training Incentive of Rs. 4000/- each is given to every athlete who wins medals in All India Inter-University games.
  University offers scholarships of Rs. 1200/- each for Kerala University team members
  In addition, the university also award grace marks to sports persons who excel in University, State, National and International sports and games competitions.

8. University of Mysore
The University of Mysore takes sports very seriously and felicitate sports persons in a number of ways. Not only the university gives cash prizes to student athletes for excelling in sports, but they also offer sports scholarship.

• Scholarship Criteria: Every student athletes seeking an admission in University of Mysore under sports quota and avail the sports scholarship must meet the eligibility criteria set by the university.
• Financial Support: University of Mysore offers financials assistance to student athletes. The student-athletes who Secure Medals at the All India Inter-University Competitions are given a cash award of Rs.30,000 for Gold medal, Rs. 25,000 for Silver Medal and Rs. 20,000 for Bronze Medal along with Sports Scholarship of Rs.3000/ each, on a Regular Basis.

Other Sports Scholarships

1. Anjum Chopra Sports Scholarship: Promotes women’s participation in the game of cricket. This program awards 10 talented women cricketers every year with the sports scholarship.

• Scholarship Criteria:
  Female athletes must be part of state teams.
  Only women cricketers aged between 14 and 25 years are eligible to apply.
• Financial Support: Candidates meeting the eligibility criteria will get up to INR 1 Lakh per annum.

2. ONGC Sports Scholarship Scheme: Encourages young athletes to take up sport and reward them with numerous benefits under ONGC Sports Scholarship scheme.

• Scholarship Criteria:
  Athletes must be between 14 and 25 years.
  For sports such as Swimming, Gymnasts and Chess, the minimum age will be 10 years.
  Athletes should not receive any other scholarship during this period.
• Financial Support:
  Insurance coverage of up to INR 5 Lakh.
  Stipend of up to INR 30,000.

3. Jyoti Prakash Scholarship Program for Sportspersons: Promotes sports amongst young athletes. Under this sports scholarship program, deserved athletes get financial support as well as coverage for educational expenses.

• Scholarship Criteria: Athlete must have played at state, national, or international level in the last 3 years.
  Must be an Indian citizen and should be aged between 14 and 25.
  The annual family income shouldn’t exceed INR 6 Lakh per annum.
• Financial Support: Deserved athletes are awarded with INR 15000 to INR 24000.

4. Colgate Keep India Smiling foundational Scholarship: Provides necessary support to deserved athletes. Encourages sport amongst youth in India.

• Scholarship Criteria:
  Only Indian citizen who are aged between 9 and 20 years are eligible for scholarship.
  Annual income of family should not exceed INR 5 Lakh per annum.
  Should have played for their state or at the state and national level in the last 3 years.
• Financial Support: Deserved athletes can get financial benefits of up to INR 75000 per annum for 3 years.

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For an aspiring Indian athlete, the biggest challenge is to strike a balance between academics and sports. In fact, when a child shows his willingness to play a sport, the first command from parents is to tell their kid to don’t get your education get affected. This often leads to a half-hearted commitment from children, depriving them a chance to unlock their full potential as an athlete. Imagine a hypothetical scenario where Lionel Messi’s parents are asking him to focus more on education than playing football.

Also Read: How to leverage social media to Build your personal brand!

How Indian System Puts Academic Pressure On Children?

India has always been a nation that prioritizes academic success. There’s no harm in that, but this has also deprived India success on the sports field. For many Indian families, education is seen as the most viable and secure path to a financially stable career. Because of this, students often are always under pressure to perform well in academics. Children, who fail to meet their parents’ academic aspirations, get compared with other kids excelling in education.

It feels as if these society norms are deeply engraved into the Indian system that forces everyone to think that without a degree from a top university, one is doomed. That failing to get top marks in exams will result in unemployment or a job that underpays. Because of this, students are always forced into studied and there’s no number to highlight how many athletes India might have lost due to these society norms.

So if you are an aspiring Indian athlete, you must learn to fight against the societal norms, which puts significant emphasis on education.

Also Read: Sports Legends: Icons Who Shaped the World of Sports

Why Pursuing Both Sports And Academics Is A Challenge For Children?

Pursuing sports and education can be a challenge for young athletes for a variety of reasons, such as:

1. Poor Infrastructure: Many non-cricket sports lack proper facilities, coaching, and equipment, making it challenging for young athletes to train effectively.
2. Parents’ Limited Awareness: As cricket hogs all the limelight, many Indian Parents are not aware of the opportunities in other sports such as Football, Lawn Tennis, and Athletics. So they don’t encourage their children to play other sports.
3. Risky Career option: Though sports open better career avenues, it is still seen as a risky career choice by many, especially in non-metro cities.

Why Balancing Academics and Sports Matters

Even if a young kid doesn’t show signs of being a talented athlete, encouraging him to play any kind of sports can play a huge role in the overall development. Here’s why parents should teach their children to strike a balance between academics and sports:

1. Holistic Development: Sports is the best teacher. It teaches life skills such as teamwork, discipline, and resilience. Teaching these skills theoretically isn’t possible.
2. More Career Options: Students who pursue both sports and academics, have better career options to choose from. In fact, since a sport career is short, an educated athlete will have better options to earn money once he retires from sports field.
3. Mental Well-being: Engaging in sports can reduce stress, improve focus, and enhance overall well-being of a human being. Since the pressure of academics is huge, playing sports can positively impact academic performance.

How An Aspiring Athlete Can Strike a Balance between Academics and Sports

1. Time Management

Every person, be it Elon Musk or Ratan Tata, who went on to become successful mastered one aspect in his life and that is to manage time. We all have limited time on our hands and what we do with it affect our life. So the most important thing a parent or the teacher can teach young children is to master time management. Young athletes should create a structured schedule that allocates time for training, studying, and rest. Prioritize tasks, avoid procrastination, and make the most of available time.

2. Seek Support from Schools and Colleges

Schools and colleges play a huge role in shaping the career of a student-athletes. If you are an athlete and you sports schedule coincide with your academics, you can always seek help from schools and colleges to offer flexibility and academic support. In addition, parents should also be open to make timely communication with teachers and educational institutions to ensure their child’s needs are met.

3. Set Realistic Goals

Goals should always be realistic. Setting goals, whether in academics or for sports, that are hard to achieve can hit the confidence level in a negative way. Also try to break goals into smaller milestones but keep a tab on the larger picture as well. Know your limitations and don’t put too much burden on yourself. Also remember that every one is unique, so don’t compare yourself with other.

4. Leverage Technology

Technology can be a valuable ally for young athletes. There are many online tools that can help a student-athlete with tasks such as diet plan, maintaining a schedule, keeping track of improvement. Similarly, fitness apps and video tutorials can enhance sports training.

Success Stories to Inspire

There are enough stories to encourage both the parents and young children to see sports as a career option, even if a child is good at academics. Here are some examples, of successful athletes who excelled in education and on the sports field as well.

• PV Sindhu: The badminton superstar made it to the very top of the sport. She remains one of the best badminton players India has ever produced. She also holds a degree in business management – a perfect example that one can be successful in sports as well as in academics.
• Anil Kumble: The former Indian leg spinner, who holds the record of most test wickets by an Indian player, is also a mechanical engineering graduate.
• Ravichandran Ashwin: India’s star spinner, who recently announced his retirement from test cricket, also holds a B.Tech degree in Information and technology.
• Abhishek Verma: India’s shooting sensation, Abhishek Verma, is also a supremely talented student. Not only he holds a Bachelor degree in Computer Science, he is also pursuing law.
• Manasi Joshi: The Para-badminton world champion completed a Bachelor of Electronics Engineering from K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai.

These athletes prove that sports and academics can go hand in hand and that one can be successful in both fields as well.

Also Read: Parents’ role in balancing sports and education

Final Thoughts

Though striking a balance between sports and education can be challenging, with the right support and planning, it is possible to excel in both fields.

Rather than forcing young children to choose between sports and academics, we, as a society, should focus on creating an environment where we can value sports alongside academics.

For young athletes, there should be freedom. Freedom of choosing a career they love and that can unlock their full potential. It can be either in academics or on the sports field.

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In a country as populous and diverse as India, there’s a lot of room for a healthy sports ecosystem which can produce talented athletes across various sports disciplines. But the reality couldn’t be farther from what the statement suggests. Cricket is the only sport that truly dominates the sporting landscape in India, while other sports even as global as Football and Lawn Tennis, are left playing the catch up game. Though cricketers in India earn big money, the majority of Indian athletes struggle to make ends meet. This is down to a lot of factors such as poor sports infrastructure, lack of success in non-cricket sports and cultural attitude towards sports in general.

Also Read: Challenges and Opportunities for Women in Indian Sports

The Pay Gap: Why there’s so much disparity?

There are various factors why there’s so much disparity between the income of Indian athletes and what their global counterparts earn. Let’s discuss some points that could be the reasons for the income

1. Cricket-Centric Culture

Cricket has always overshadowed other sports in India. Even a game as global and as popular as football takes a back seat to cricket’s popularity and following. As cricket is always in the limelight, whether it’s for the right or wrong reasons, big companies tend to collaborate with cricketers, as well as with the leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Indian cricket team matches. As the money involved in cricket is often in billion, this leaves little room for other sports and players. Also the limited commercial success of leagues such as Indian Super League (ISL) and Premier Badminton League (PBL) – now defunct – restricts earnings for athletes other than cricketers.

Also Read: Challenges In Monetizing Indian Sports Content Online

2. Lack of Infrastructure and Investment

A country’s success in any sport depends on how robust its infrastructure is. Cricket is hugely successful in India because the BCCI, cricket’s parent body in India, has created a system where talented athletes can get access to world-class athletes. In terms of infrastructure, cricket is the standard in India for other sports. Without world-class facilities, India fail to produce world-class athletes consistently in sports such as Football, Basketball or Athletics. As there’s limited success for athletes, big companies do not want to spend big on marketing and sponsorships on non-cricket athletes, which significantly impact their earnings.

3. Limited Sponsorship and Endorsement Opportunities

Global sports brands and sponsors tend to associate with internationally successful athletes. Cricket is not a global sport by any stretch of imagination while non-cricket athletes are no where as successful as premium players such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, Roger Federer or Tiger Woods. That means, global brands have too many options to collaborate with, leaving Indian players with a smaller pool of opportunities.

4. Lack of a transparent system to support Athletes

Indian sports ecosystem suffer from poor governance and mismanagement. There’s no system in place which can take care of the well-being of sports athletes other than cricket. Even playing in top-notch leagues such as ISL doesn’t guarantee a big paycheck, unless you are Sunil Chhetri. This inconsistency and lack of transparency of funds being allocated in the right way affects the financial growth of its athletes.

5. Shorter Career and Limited Post-Retirement Support

The career of a sports player is far shorter than traditional career, let’s say a typical 9-5 job. So an athlete has to earn enough money in that limited time to support not only himself, but his family members as well for the rest of his life. But not every athlete get the right opportunity at the right time. Most suffer at the hands of the poor infrastructure, poor management, which then, affect their overall growth as an athlete. Lack of success on the field means, athletes don’t get sponsorships or financial support from the government. Many athletes struggle financially after leaving the sport and most opt for jobs such as coaching in small academies, which don’t pay enough, to be fair.

How the Pay Gap can be Bridged?

1. Better Investments in Other Sports

There’s no shortcut to success. If we want to see an Indian player playing for a football club like Liverpool, or Bayern Munich, infrastructure has to improve. And for that to happen, more investment is required, not only from government but from private sector. Grassroots programs should be made more robust to create a more balanced sports ecosystem.

2. Develop Professional Leagues

We have seen how professional leagues such as Hockey India League (HIL), Premier Badminton League (PBL) and few others became defunct. This clearly indicate the lack of interest from stake holders in running the league. Better marketing and more investment could have helped a lot in the continuation of the leagues. Even the ISL is seeing poor marketing as the attendance in the matches keep decreasing. Steps should be taken to revive those leagues which will significantly improve the financial well-being of players.

3. Celebrate non-cricket achievements More

There’s a saying in hindi – “jo dikhta hai, wo bikta hai”. This statement holds true in every aspect of life. Even if the achievement of a student in a certain exam, if marketed aggressively and in the right manner, can help him get scholarship and funding. In India, we tend to overlook the sports achievements if it’s not cricket. If media and even general public show more support towards non-cricket achievements, it can help bring more focus on athletes, which means, sponsors would want to collaborate with them. This can significantly increase their earning.

5. Promote Sports Education

In India, every other aspiring sports player want to become either Virat Kohli or Sachin Tendulkar. There’s nothing wrong with that, but young kids should also be taught about other sports. More often than not, children are forced into pursuing education if they want to play sports, especially if it’s not cricket. This is down to lack of sports education amongst parents. Other than improving infrastructure, educating athletes as well as parents about financial planning can help them secure long-term financial stability.

Conclusion

The pay gap between Indian athletes and their global counterparts is a reflection of India’s lack of success in global sports such as Football, Lawn Tennis and Basketball, to name a few. In fact, India get trolled during global sporting events such as FIFA World Cup and Olympics due to the country’s lack of success in producing quality athletes. We should also accept this fact that why out of a more than a billion population we can’t produce few gold medal winners in Olympic events, while Australia, which has population less than India’s Kolkata city, manage to win multiple gold medals.

As Indian athletes fail to leave a mark at the global stage, no international brand would want to collaborate with them when there are other options such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Unless, Indian athletes start winning in global sporting events, the significant pay gap between their earnings and what international athletes earn would always continue to exist.

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