The fourth Street Child Soccer World Cup in Doha is on the horizon and MyySports is the official streaming partner of the event. The tournament is organised to bring focus on the challenges faced by millions of street children around the world. The event will host 28 teams of street children from 24+ countries, raising their visibility and providing a platform for the voices and demands of the street-connected youth to be heard.
In this exclusive interview, Mr. Shishir Hattangadi, President, Distribution & Alliances at MyySports speaks about the Street Child Soccer World Cup, the two Indian teams competing in the tournament, giving underprivileged kids a platform to showcase their talent, overcoming challenges, using experience as a former first-class cricketer in his current role and his future goals.
Q 1) Tell us about the Street Child Soccer World Cup which will happen in Doha this October. How does it provide a platform for the voices and demands of the street-connected youth to be heard?
The Street Child World Cup is more about the journey of kids who come from unfortunate backgrounds, to propel them on a platform of recognition, identity and commanding relevance through football. The platform puts them on a world stage and inspires a story for millions of other kids from their ilk to emulate these kids. The key is creating an identity and a story to inspire.
Q 2) Two Indian teams, Karunalaya and YFC Rurka Kalan will be participating in the event. What do you think are their chances in the tournament?
As good as any other team I guess, football is the new cricket amongst the youth and this is no different. Preparing well, training hard and being in the moment is the key.
Q 3) With MyySports being the Official Streaming Partner of the event, what do you hope to achieve by showcasing these children competing at the highest level?
Giving these kids a platform, an identity, and recognition of their journey towards a destination that has a story in itself. We want more and more people to hear about them, help them and be inspired by their journey. This is also a great way to showcase the power of sport! We all hear so much about gaining life skills, confidence and more from sports, this is living breathing proof of all that is possible!
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Q 4) As President, Distribution & Alliances at MyySports, what are some of the biggest challenges that you face in your role? How do you overcome them?
The challenges are more about telling people the MyySports story and getting them to realise that the platform is about creating one's own identity. It's not so much a challenge when one believes in the ethos of the fundamentals of the app. I feel it is just a matter of time; as people understand the value that MyySports brings to the sports ecosystem the challenge will solve itself.
Q 5) How has your experience as a former first-class cricketer helped you in your current role?
Understanding what may have been if this app was around in my time to propel the wooden spoon sportspersons to gain wider recognition. India has so much talent but not everyone – including many legendary sports persons – gets a platform to showcase their talents to the world. I was lucky to be at the right place at the right time! There were plenty of cricketers who may have been better but didn't have a platform, and were not seen. We must spare a thought for the plethora of better-skilled sportspersons, who should be given an opportunity to showcase their capabilities. I think with MyySports we will unearth a lot of unknown talent!
Q 6) What are your future goals for MyySports? How do you plan to achieve them?
Our future goals are twofold:
1. To give the opportunity to sportspeople with aspirations to be recognised.
2. To give an opportunity to ones who had to give up the sport, to relive the nostalgia of an unfulfilled dream.
