India observed National Sports Day on August 29th, honoring the legacy of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. The sporting landscape across the nation continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace. This year’s celebration holds special significance. We witness a remarkable shift in how sports development is approached at the grassroots level. In fact, with technology and artificial intelligence, it is emerging as powerful catalysts for change.
The traditional model of sports training in India has long been characterized by many limitations. Like, limited infrastructure, geographical constraints, and access to quality coaching. However, a new generation of sports technology entrepreneurs is redefining this narrative. It is ringing world-class training methodologies and analytical capabilities to young athletes across tier-2 and tier-3 cities. This transformation is not merely about digitizing existing processes. In fact, it represents a fundamental reimagining of how we identify, nurture, and develop sporting talent from the ground up.
Sports For Life (SFL)
At the forefront of this revolution is Sports For Life (SFL). SFL is a pioneering startup that embodies the convergence of cutting-edge technology with grassroots sports development. Founded by Sourjyendu Medda, the former co-founder of DealShare, SFL represents more than just another sports-tech venture. In fact, it symbolizes a strategic shift toward viewing sports as both a viable career path. nd a driver of social transformation. The company’s mission to “play to progress” encapsulates a broader vision of creating sustainable sporting ecosystems. An ecosystem that can compete on the global stage.
SFL’s approach is particularly noteworthy for its comprehensive integration of artificial intelligence, data analytics, and professional coaching methodologies. Operating across Mumbai, Bangalore, and Pune, with ambitious expansion plans nationwide, the company provides structured training in football, tennis, chess, squash, and table tennis for young athletes aged 13-18. What sets SFL apart is its commitment to leveraging smart AI technology to create personalized training experiences that transform traditional coaching into what they describe as “a fun skill-boosting adventure.”
Grassroots Athletes
The significance of this technological integration cannot be overstated. In a country where sporting infrastructure has historically favored urban centers and established academies, AI-powered platforms are democratizing access to high-quality training insights. Real-time performance analytics, biomechanical analysis, and strategic game planning—once the exclusive domain of professional sports—are now becoming accessible to grassroots athletes. This shift is particularly crucial as India prepares for its aspirational journey toward hosting the 2036 Olympics.
As we delve into today’s conversation, we’ll explore how this technology-driven approach is reshaping the customer experience in youth sports, examining the intersection of innovation and tradition that defines modern sports development in India. The discussion promises to reveal not just the technical aspects of this transformation, but the human stories and strategic vision driving India’s evolution into a sporting nation.
Welcome Sourjyendu Medda, Co-Founder and CEO, SFL
Q1. Sourjyendu, congratulations on the incredible journey from DealShare to Sports For Life. What was that pivotal moment when you realized you wanted to shift from e-commerce to transforming Indian sports?
SM: At DealShare, I learned how to build a business with scale, structure, and strong focus on customers. While running that business, I noticed big gaps in grassroots sports training and a lack of clear pathways for young athletes. This made me want to create a platform where children in India can access quality and affordable sports training. With SFL, we aim to give athletes proper coaching, exposure to competitions at national and international levels, and to help them learn discipline and life skills.
Q2. As a father yourself, how did your personal experience influence your vision for SFL’s approach to youth sports development?
SM: As a parent, I saw how limited and fragmented sports opportunities were for children in India. This inspired me to rethink the system after seeing families struggle to find safe, structured, and transparent programs.
I believe in the power of sports and the life skills it teaches children, which made the vision more personal. SFL was created as a family-first ecosystem that combines professional training, structured leagues, and clear visibility for parents on one platform. Our goal is to give every child the right path to grow as an athlete while giving parents confidence that their child’s progress is guided and nurtured.
A Day in SFL Ecosystem
Q3. Can you paint a picture of what a typical day looks like for a young athlete in the SFL ecosystem compared to traditional sports training?
SM: In SFL, each child follows a structured program designed for their age and led by certified coaches. Sports science modules are built into training, so development is well-rounded. Every session is tracked, with attendance, performance, and progress reports available on the SFL App. Parents and players can also access schedules and match footage. In traditional systems, training often depends on individual coaches, with little transparency and no clear development framework. SFL makes training consistent, data-driven, and family-inclusive, creating a bridge from grassroots play to professional pathways.
Q4. The timing of National Sports Day seems perfect for this conversation. What does Major Dhyan Chand’s legacy mean to you personally, and how does it inspire SFL’s mission?
SM: Major Dhyan Chand’s legacy reminds us of discipline, humility, and sporting excellence. His journey inspires our mission to make structured and high-quality sports training available to every child in India, not just a privileged few. For us, it is about combining the joy of play with national pride and building a strong sporting culture from the grassroots. National Sports Day is the right moment to reaffirm this vision and the values we want young athletes to carry forward.
Heimir Hallgrímsson
Q5. You’ve brought on board Heimir Hallgrímsson, the mastermind behind Iceland’s Euro 2016 success. How did that conversation unfold, and what convinced him to join India’s grassroots movement?
SM: Through our global outreach, we connected with Heimir Hallgrímsson and quickly found alignment in vision. He was impressed by India’s scale and the way SFL has created a structured pathway for grassroots football.
This conviction led him to join us as Football Mentor and Global Ambassador, guiding both our players and our programs. His international experience, from leading Iceland at Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, to coaching Jamaica between 2022 and 2024, and most recently becoming head coach of the Republic of Ireland in July 2024, adds global expertise to India’s grassroots movement.
Q6. Let’s talk about the customer experience transformation you’re driving. How has AI and technology changed the parent-athlete-coach dynamic in youth sports?
SM: At SFL, we see AI and technology as tools that bring clarity to the parent, athlete, and coach relationship. Parents now get real-time progress tracking, which gives them clear visibility into their child’s journey. Coaches use data-backed insights, moving from guesswork to evidence-based training. Athletes benefit from structured performance metrics that show growth and highlight the next steps. Together, this shifts the dynamic from subjective judgment to informed and collaborative decision-making for everyone.
Young Female Athletes
Q7. SFL hosts Mumbai’s largest girls’ football tournament. From a CX perspective, how do you ensure equal opportunities translate into meaningful experiences for young female athletes?
SM: We have dedicated girls’ categories in U14 and U17, giving them their own space to compete seriously. Every feature offered to boys, from match schedules to 4K livestreams and AI stats, is mirrored for the girls. This makes visibility and recognition equal, so talent is judged on performance, not gender. We aim to turn participation into real impact by building confidence and fueling ambition in young female athletes.
Q8. Your expansion strategy focuses heavily on tier-2 and tier-3 cities. What customer insights have you gathered about sports aspirations in these markets that differ from metro cities?
SM: Right now, SFL operates in Mumbai and Pune, not yet in tier-2 or tier-3 cities.
From these two hubs, we see that parents look for structured coaching, strong safety measures, and weekend matches that feel like family time. Families also want full clarity on schedules, results, and progress, something the SFL App makes simple. These learnings are shaping our playbook so that when we move into newer cities, we can offer the same family-first and structured experience with an even stronger focus on affordability and safety, which matter deeply in smaller cities.
SFL Football League
Q9. The SFL Football League features AI-powered match tracking and real-time analytics. How do you balance high-tech innovation with the fundamental joy of playing sports?
SM: At SFL, the game itself always comes first children should enjoy the freedom of play. Technology stays in the background, supporting the experience rather than driving it. AI captures data silently, without interfering with the flow of the match. This way, kids play with joy while parents and coaches still gain useful insights to support growth.
Q10. From a business model standpoint, you’re following a roll-up strategy similar to what Cult.fit did with gyms. How does this approach enhance the customer experience across different academies?
SM: At SFL, all academies follow one system across football, tennis, badminton, squash, table tennis, basketball, and chess. Families see the same coaching style, the same app, and the same standards in every sport. This gives parents peace of mind, as they don’t have to judge each academy on their own. For them, the journey feels seamless, with trust and quality built in from the start.
Q11. You’ve mentioned that grassroots sports need the same investment mindset as high-growth ventures. Can you break down the ROI model for sports development from both a business and societal perspective?
SM: From a business view, SFL builds value through recurring enrollments, sponsorship partnerships, and tournament formats that can scale year after year. For society, the return is deeper and long-term healthier children, stronger communities, and a clear pathway for young talent in Indian sport. Sponsors also see strong customer lifetime value, since families stay engaged across multiple seasons. The real success comes when financial returns and social outcomes move together, creating an ecosystem where every stakeholder benefits.
Interaction of Tech and Sports Performance
Q12. The intersection of tech and sports performance is generating massive amounts of data. How are you ensuring this data translates into actionable insights that genuinely improve athletic performance rather than just creating impressive dashboards?
SM: We see technology as valuable only when it guides action, not when it floods families with numbers. At SFL, insights are shared with context showing progress against benchmarks, offering training tips, and highlighting areas to improve. Every metric connects to a clear step the player can take, so the focus stays on performance growth rather than on dashboards.
Q13. Looking at global benchmarks, what specific gaps in India’s sports customer experience ecosystem is SFL designed to address, and how do you measure success beyond traditional business metrics?
SM: In India, coaching is still fragmented, quality varies widely, and families often lack clear progression pathways. Global examples such as European academies and US school leagues show how structure brings clarity and consistency.
SFL is built to close these gaps with standardized coaching, measurable growth, and transparent pathways for every child. For us, success is not only about revenue. It is about the number of children trained; how many continue season after season, their rate of progression, and the satisfaction families feel.
Journey from Grassroots Training to Professional Sports
Q14. The journey from grassroots training to professional sports career requires multiple touchpoints and stakeholders. How is SFL designing the customer journey to ensure continuity and progression throughout an athlete’s development cycle?
SM: SFL is building a connected pathway that links every stage of a young athlete’s journey, from academy training to league competition and advanced performance tracking. Data stays with the athlete across all touchpoints, giving a clear view of progress and creating a smooth bridge from grassroots to higher levels of play. Through the SFL App, families can access attendance records, match videos, stats, and coach feedback, allowing them to see growth year after year.
Q15. As India aspires to become a sporting nation by 2036, what role do you see technology playing in scaling personalized coaching experiences to millions of young athletes simultaneously?
SM: Scaling personalized coaching to millions of children is possible only with technology. AI-driven analysis, digital training modules, and automated tracking make it practical and consistent. At SFL, each player receives feedback tailored to their progress without any drop in quality. The vision is simple: every child in India should access structured programs and growth pathways that feel personal, not one-size-fits-all.
Strategic CX Perspective
Q16. From a strategic CX perspective, how do you anticipate AI and machine learning will reshape the fundamental relationship between athletes, coaches, and sports science in the next decade?
SM: In the coming decade, AI and machine learning will shift from being support tools to becoming the backbone of athlete development. Athletes will receive real-time feedback, coaches will use predictive insights, and sports science will reach the grassroots. This will create a data-powered collaboration that makes training smarter, safer, and more effective for everyone involved.
Q17. Given your background in scaling consumer businesses, how do you apply those customer-centric principles to create sustainable sports ecosystems that serve athletes, parents, coaches, and communities effectively?
SM: From my DealShare journey, I carried forward a customer-first mindset into SFL. We built transparent metrics and standardized processes, so parents, athletes, and coaches always have clarity. By treating sports as a community movement rather than just a service, we create trust, retention, and long-term sustainability. This is what makes the ecosystem sustainable for families, coaches, and communities together.
Closing
Our conversation with Sourjyendu Medda draws to a close. We’re left with a profound appreciation for the transformative potential of technology-driven grassroots sports development. The insights shared today illuminate the mechanics of building a sports-tech company. Also, the deeper philosophy of creating sustainable pathways for India’s sporting aspirations.
SFL’s approach represents a masterclass in customer experience innovation within the sports ecosystem. By recognizing that the “customer” in youth sports encompasses not just the young athlete, but also parents, coaches, communities, and the broader sporting infrastructure, Medda and his team have crafted a holistic solution that addresses multiple stakeholder needs simultaneously. The integration of AI-powered analytics with traditional coaching wisdom demonstrates how technology can enhance rather than replace the human elements that make sports meaningful.
Market Dynamics and Untapped Potential
The emphasis on tier-2 and tier-3 cities as growth engines for Indian sports reveals a sophisticated understanding of market dynamics and untapped potential. As we’ve learned, these regions represent not just underserved markets, but vibrant communities hungry for access to world-class training methodologies. SFL’s expansion strategy, supported by the expertise of global ambassadors like Heimir Hallgrímsson, suggests that the future of Indian sports may well be written in the smaller cities and towns that have traditionally been overlooked.
Perhaps most significantly, the conversation has highlighted the importance of viewing grassroots sports development through an investment lens rather than merely as social responsibility. The roll-up strategy, the focus on measurable outcomes, and the emphasis on creating sustainable career pathways all point to a mature understanding of how sports ecosystems can be built to last. This approach offers a template that could be replicated across different sports and geographies.
Demands Action
The timing of this discussion, coinciding with National Sports Day, serves as a powerful reminder that honoring our sporting heroes requires more than commemoration—it demands action. Major Dhyan Chand’s legacy lives on not just in our memories, but in every young athlete who now has access to professional-grade training and AI-powered insights that can accelerate their development journey.
As India marches toward its 2036 Olympic aspirations, the work being done by companies like SFL represents the foundation upon which those dreams will be built. The intersection of technology and grassroots development isn’t just changing individual lives; it’s reshaping the entire narrative of what’s possible for Indian sports.
Valuable Lessons
For CX professionals across industries, SFL’s model offers valuable lessons in stakeholder management, technology integration, and the power of viewing customers as part of a larger ecosystem rather than isolated transactions. The company’s success in creating meaningful engagement across multiple touchpoints—from AI-powered match analytics to European training opportunities—demonstrates how customer experience innovation can drive both business success and social impact.
As we conclude this National Sports Day conversation, we’re reminded that the true measure of success in grassroots sports development lies not just in the champions created, but in the dreams enabled, the communities strengthened, and the barriers broken down. In that regard, SFL’s journey represents more than just business success—it embodies the transformative power of technology applied with purpose, vision, and unwavering commitment to India’s sporting future.
The conversation continues beyond this interview. In fact, in every training session enhanced by AI insights, every young athlete discovering their potential. And, moreover, every community that begins to see sports not as a luxury, but as a pathway to excellence. This is the real legacy of National Sports Day 2025. It is not about just celebrating past heroes, but, as a result, creating the infrastructure for future champions.
