Playing fields to boardroom games

Many former players have got into sports administration now. So, what does it take to become successful at that?

A little over a week ago Dilip Tirkey created a bit of a history. The unassuming former India defender, the country’s most capped player with 412 international outings, was named the first player-president of Hockey India after two of his rivals — Uttar Pradesh Hockey chief Rakesh Katyal and Hockey Jharkhand’s Bhola Nath Singh — withdrew their nominations. Having seen the highs and lows of Indian hockey during a chequered career, the 44-year-old, an active politician in his home state of Odisha, felt time was right for him to personally resurrect Hockey India which is in shambles right now.

Before the Hockey India presidential battle, two former players were involved in a fight to lead the All India Football Federation, which too is in a similarly dysfunctional state — administratively — as hockey. Bhaichung Bhutia, called the Sikkimese Sniper owing to his deadly scoring skills, and goalkeeper Kalyan Chaubey crossed swords before the latter emerged victor with an overwhelming majority. Chaubey, like Tirkey, became the first player to head football's national federation.

In October 2019, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India was in a similarly tumultuous state with the Committee of Administrators running the show, former India captain Sourav Ganguly, already heading the Cricket Association of Bengal, threw his hat into national body's polls and was unanimously elected its 39th president. Both Tirkey and Chaubey have attributed Ganguly as an inspiration for jumping into sporting administration.

Add Adille Sumariwalla, a fine sprinter in his prime, who was elected the president of the Athletics Federation of India for the third time in October 2020, you have four former sportspersons heading national federations. Not to mention legendary long-jumper Anju Bobby George, who is the senior vice-president of AFI and former all-England badminton champ and super coach Pullela Gopichand, who is one of the vice-presidents of the Badminton Association of India.

Until a decade ago, most former players would choose coaching as the natural progression. Having played the sport at the highest level and understood its nuances, they felt coaching would be the best way to impart their knowledge onto the upcoming generations. World over, several former players have ended up becoming highly successful coaches. Some with good oratory skills, pick up the microphone, giving voice and life to dramas that unfold on the field. But now, some former players view sports administration as a viable career option too, although its demands pose unique challenges.

“I believe former players should come into sports administration because they know where to focus. Like Sourav Ganguly was in the CAB first and then went to BCCI and is performing brilliantly,” Tirkey was quoted by PTI-Basha soon after his election.

Yes, as former athletes, they know exactly what the current lot needs and are better equipped to address it. Barring cricket and top athletes from a few other disciplines and those who train with the help of the Sports Authority of India, facilities for most aspiring and budding athletes are still shabby. As players they better understand problems and can address it in a way they feel it should be done.

However, sporting administration is a whole different ballgame and can consume a lot from committed individuals. It involves day-to-day running of the sport, overseeing the functioning of state bodies, negotiating with various stakeholders, constant talks with sponsors to bring in more revenue, look out for the betterment of players, find ways to increase the number of competitions and prize money, acquiring land to build infrastructure, boosting the profile of the sport at the grassroot levels, managing egos of disgruntled elements… it’s one heck of a job. While most sporting bodies have paid professionals to do the heavy lifting, being the head of an association calls for plenty of accountability, responsibility and organisational capability.

So what makes former players veer the path of administration that was earlier the stranglehold of politicians or bureaucrats? There seems to be an air of confidence in them and they believe they can play the politics needed to rise to the top and steer the sport from the boardroom despite knowing administration is no walk in the park.

“Former players can certainly become good administrators and I’ve seen so many of them,” Professor Ratnakar Shetty, a former BCCI administrator, told DHoS. “Dilip Vengsarkar, Brijesh Patel, even Sunil Gavaskar, have been brilliant administrators. They have been an inspiration for many. Not just at the BCCI level, even at state associations I’ve seen several former players govern with authority, accountability and responsibility. Some of them have that skill and aptitude. They know they can make a difference and some of them have done it.”

So what are the requisites to become a good administrator? Assembling a good team and a complete preparation for the role is of prime importance feels Shetty, who first jumped into administration way back in 1975. “Former players can become good administrators provided they have a good team around them. To become a successful player, you need to prepare well. The same holds good for sporting administration too. If you come prepared, by working in district and state associations, then working with the national federation will help your cause. Else, it’ll be very difficult.

“Administration involves plenty of things and is extremely challenging and demanding. The first thing is the person needs to form a strong team. It’s the team that steers the ship forward. So assembling the right people is the first challenge. Secondly, the person needs to have strong negotiation skills. There will be calls to ministers, state associations heads, police..... The person needs to learn the art of give and take. The main thing is confidence, self-belief, strong communication skills and team work,” opined Shetty.

Ashwini Nachappa, a former track and field star who too dabbled into administration and went on to head the Bangalore Urban District Athletics Association, felt intent is very important to become a successful administrator. “All formers players don’t necessarily become good administrators. Look at some of the state associations which are run by former players, they are in far worse shape now. The main thing is intent. Not all players become good administrators and not all politicians or bureaucrats are bad administrators. If your intent is good, then it doesn’t matter whether your are a former player or politician, the sport will grow. But if your intent is bad, then irrespective of who you are, sport will go backwards. Some former players can be as vindictive as some politicians.”

While Nachappa didn't throw out any names and was speaking generically, right intent has been a problem even when former players take up administration. Take Ganguly for example. When he took charge of the BCCI following some good work at Cricket Association of Bengal and given the mess the national board was in, many expected him to work miracles, similar to what he did when he was the captain of the Indian team. Then he guided India through the match-fixing crises and gave wings to several youngsters like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Mohammed Kaif. But many felt letdown by his stint in BCCI, especially his handling of affairs during the Covid pandemic. Agreed that the pandemic was beamer to all but most of Ganguly's actions were reactive after the struggles of players and officials were highlighted in the media. There was an overwhelming feeling in the cricketing fraternity that despite being a cricketer he disappointingly remained indifferent to his own community's concerns and issues.

Ditto with Mohammad Azharuddin, who, as the president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, has been roundly criticised for his misadministration.

Locally, hockey has been on the decline in Karnataka. Once a conveyor belt of talent for the national team, thanks to the deep resonance the sport has amongst Kodavas and Anglo-Indians, today not a single Karnataka player is there in the national probables -- junior and senior teams. And who is at the helm of Hockey Karnataka affairs? Former India goalkeeper AB Subbaiah! Former India drag-flicker VR Raghunath and State player Vikramkanth were committee members in the previous regime. They are partly to blame for the decline of the sport in the state.

In the end, what it tells us is that while it's definitely an advantage to have a sportsperson as administrator, that can't be the sole criterion to run a body. You need commitment, concern and compassion to be a successful administrator. Also, one shouldn't overstay his/her welcome. Some players have a tendency to cling onto the posts for decades. They should play their part and leave the stage for the next generation with fresh ideas. Else, they might end up doing more damage than good.

An immensely respected former player, who didn’t wish to be named, felt when the greed of power gets into a players' mind then decline starts. “When I got into administration soon after my playing career, the intention was to lift the morale of the state association and spread the sport beyond the cities. I feel we did that by setting up academies in various cities in the state. Like in sport, you should never overstay your welcome. Some players who got into administration have clung onto the posts for decades. You should play your part and leave the stage for the next generation. Else, you’ll end up doing more damage than good.”