A Global Brand Meets Play

A Global Brand Meets Play

What does it really take for a brand to belong to a sport — not just sponsor it? And what happens when a global tech giant quietly decides that the future of Indian sport is worth betting on? Join Vijay and Saumil on the Get Kids to Play podcast as Infosys CMO Sumit Virmani unpacks how Infosys built one of sport's most purposeful brand stories, why grassroots can't survive on glamour alone, and what it genuinely takes to nurture a champion in a country still learning to invest in its athletes. 0:00 - Introduction 1:39 - Why sport and brands belong together: culture, passion and the natural playbook 3:24 - Why tennis? The four reasons Infosys doubled down on one global sport 5:41 - Technology meets tennis: walking into an ATP Final with only serve speed and scores 10:05 - The grassroots gap: why brands chase elite eyeballs and what it costs the base 13:41 - The 360 model: investing in academies, coaches and players together 16:01 - Rafa, Iga, Carlos: why celebrity ambassadors must be intentional, not opportunistic 22:39 - Maya and the Rafa Academy: a quiet bet on a young Indian tennis star 25:28 - Girls for Gold to Gear for Gold: how one focused program became six Olympic disciplines 27:22 - Sport vs academics: the sharper pyramid problem and what a good model looks like 30:03 - Closing thoughts: why any brand invested in sport must take the long view About Sumit Virmani https://www.infosys.com/about/management-profiles/sumit-virmani.html About Get Kids to Play https://sportzvillage.com/get-kids-to-play/

Why The World Needs Play

What if the greatest lessons in life were never taught in a classroom? Join Vijay and Saumil on the Get Kids to Play podcast as Hall of Famer and Stanford psychologist Dr. George Selleck and award-winning author Dr. Alan Gregerman make the case for a world where every child gets to play, grow, and discover who they truly are — and why adults might be the ones standing in the way. 0:00 - Introduction 1:45 - Reimagining sport: The idea and why now 2:07 - The Thomas More quote that started it all 4:04 - We need to listen to kids, not just talk at them 5:43 - Why adults are the ones messing kids up 6:03 - What adults need to do differently 8:13 - Why good ideas alone aren't enough: The capitalism problem 10:07 - Stop chasing elite athletes: Sport belongs to everyone 11:13 - Redefining competition: Compete against yourself 12:26 - Don't tie your identity to your performance 12:42 - Fun is the outcome, not a bonus 13:43 - The Wisdom of Ignorance: Skills that never go out of date 16:03 - What happens when kids who didn't play enter the workforce 17:12 - Work vs play: Why we got it backwards 18:45 - Pickleball, badminton and rediscovering joy in adulthood 19:42 - What school leaders can do to get more kids playing 22:31 - Finding ways to play in busy urban lives 24:08 - Learning to think about the way you think 24:25 - Dr. Selleck's NBA draft story and the cost of lacking self-awareness 26:08 - Closing thoughts: Sport is about humans first 27:52 - Adults are just grown-up kids About Dr. George Selleck https://lead2play.sportzvillage.com/about-us/ About Dr. Alan Gregerman https://alangregerman.com/ https://venture-works.com/about/ About Get-Kids-To-Play https://sportzvillage.com/get-kids-to-play/

Get Kids To Swim

What if a childhood fear of water could transform into an Olympic dream? Join Vijay and Saumil on the Get Kids to Play podcast as they dive deep with Nisha Millet, India's first woman swimmer to qualify for the Olympics. From nearly drowning at age five to standing poolside in Sydney at eighteen, Nisha shares how patience, play, and parental support turned hydrophobia into a lifelong love affair with water. Now training everyone from toddlers to senior citizens, she's proof that the right approach to sport can change lives. 0:00 - Introduction 1:21 - From near-drowning to hydrophobia: The five-year-old's accident 2:09 - Thrown in the deep end: The old-fashioned way of teaching swimming 4:36 - School vs. sport: Finding the balance with realistic expectations 8:32 - Should only rich kids play sports? Unpacking the funding debate 10:51 - Meet the 63-year-old team captain who outruns twenty-somethings 14:53 - The 22-year gap: Why no Indian woman has qualified for Olympic swimming since 2004 18:53 - What's holding Indian swimmers back from Olympic cutoffs? 23:33 - The only sport you can do for life: Swimming's therapeutic power 26:39 - Final advice: Don't pass your fears onto your kids About Nisha Millet https://nishamillet.com/ About Get-Kids-To-Play https://sportzvillage.com/get-kids-to-play/

No School, No Football

What if football could break the cycle of poverty? Join Vijay and Parminder on the Get Kids to Play podcast as they sit down with Ashok Rathod, founder of Oscar Foundation and CNN IBN Real Hero Award recipient. From starting with just 18 children in Mumbai's low-income communities to impacting 17,000 kids across five states, Ashok shares how his "No School, No Football" campaign transformed lives through the power of sport. 0:00 - Introduction 1:18 - Oscar Foundation's 15-year journey 2:13 - Growing up in Mumbai: What sparked the mission 5:46 - From 18 kids to 600 overnight 8:08 - Why "Oscar"? The story behind the name 10:16 - Why football became the tool for change 12:52 - The challenge: Convincing people sports can educate 15:07 - Impact: From 55% dropouts to 91% pass rates 17:08 - Sustainability through young community leaders 21:31 - Why play isn't happening in schools 24:02 - Partnerships for employability skills 25:17 - Measuring impact: Proving sport works 28:46 - Closing: Be a friend to children, not just a parent About Ashok Rathod https://www.oscar-foundation.org/ About Get-Kids-To-Play https://sportzvillage.com/get-kids-to-play/

Plaeto - Enabling young Indian Feet to Play

What if childhood was about play, not performance? Join Vijay and Saumil on the Get Kids to Play podcast as they explore this with Ravi Kallayil , who walked away from his dream job at Nike Innovation to transform children's footwear in India. From measuring 800 Indian feet to partnering with Rahul Dravid, Ravi shares how Plaeto is making play accessible, joyful, and purposeful for every child. 0:00 - Introduction 1:03 - Ravi's 18-year journey at Nike 2:57 - From elite sport to grassroots: What's the difference? 6:04 - Why competitive sport kills fun 8:43 - The multiplay revolution: One shoe for everything 11:10 - Scanning 800 Indian feet: Building shoes for growing kids 15:06 - How Rahul Dravid came on board 16:43 - Top solutions to get kids playing 18:36 - Making PE teachers ambassadors of play 21:26 - Can we change India's academic-first mindset? 24:19 - Plaeto's vision: Impact a million lives 26:08 - The PE teacher who taught swimming in a village well 28:02 - Closing About Ravi Kallayil https://plaeto.in/pages/our-story-1 About Get-Kids-To-Play https://sportzvillage.com/get-kids-to-play/