Football, motorsport on the mind of U Mumba owner Ronnie Screwvala
RONNIE SCREWVALA MUST BE A HAPPY MAN. And why not. His franchise, U Mumba are the freshly-crowned champions of the Pro Kabaddi League season 2. Led by captain cool Anup Kumar, U Mumba defeated the spirited Bengaluru Bulls 36-30 to claim the coveted trophy in Mumbai.
Founder of the well-known UTV Group, Screwvala has recently entered the sports industry in India through his company, U Sports. Apart from being an active philanthropist and entrepreneur, he is also an avid supporter of sports. Through his initiative U Dream, Screwvala tries to encourage football at the grassroots. Not only that, but he’s also planning to start a motorsport event titled, U Moto 250.
In an interview with Catch News, the proud owner showered praises on his team’s performance against the Bengaluru Bulls on Sunday.
“They performed consistently well throughout the season. The team-spirit in the squad was very good, which played a big part in their success in the league. The core players of our team, who also played last season, have been absolutely fantastic this term. There was a high level of consistency from every player, which translated into wins on the mat. I think our mix of three raiders, three defenders and one all-rounder turned out to be a very well-balanced strategy. It helped us turn the games around because of our prowess on both the offensive and defensive fronts.”
When asked what prompted him to invest in a sport like Kabaddi, Screwvala’s honest reply was,
“I like doing things which can make a major difference. With Kabaddi being a traditional sport in this country, we knew that if we did a few things differently with the Pro Kabaddi League, the sport could become hugely popular here.”
On the scope of Pro Kabaddi in future, Screwvala says the plan is to expand the league and welcome additional teams in the coming years.
“Right now, the plan is to hold a Pro Kabaddi League season every six months, instead of extending the time-span of one single season”, he said.
When asked about his association with German football club Hoffenheim, Screwvala says his focus is on building careers of kids below 14 years of age by managing their training schedules.
Screwvala further revealed that he plans to start a motor racing event, U Moto 250, which will be held in the country’s most exotic locations. The event will begin either in 2016 or 2017. The entrepreneur is also planning to launch a television-friendly gaming league.
Few people take genuine interest in the development of sports in the country. Screwvala is one of those people, whose constant effort is to see India excel in multiple sports. He provides a logical explanation for the same.
“You can't be one of the largest economies in the world and not be one of the best performing nations in multiple sports disciplines. My involvement with sports is mainly about encouraging talent, backing different sports disciplines, creating brands in sports and making sports a viable career path for youngsters,” he concluded.
