Kerala Basketball Association announces strategic partnership with Starting Five

It becomes the first State Basketball Association in India to enter into a commercial rights agreement with a private company, pioneering a model that can be followed by other States.

Kerala Basketball Association has executed a Commercial Rights Agreement (CRA) with Starting Five Sports Management Pvt Ltd, to launch and manage new league competition systems.

The agreement is for a period of 12 years, and the launch ceremony of this partnership was held on June 15th 2024, in the picturesque Willingdon Island in Kochi. It was attended by more than 200 basketball lovers including about 100 players who represented Kerala in the four decades between 1960 and the start of the millennium.

About Starting Five

Starting Five Sports Management Pvt Ltd is a new professionally managed sports startup, established by five basketball players who played for Kerala in the two decades between 1968  and 1988. The startup has already roped in Meeran Sports to join hands at this early stage of the venture.

Regaining Kerala’s Former Glory

While introducing the whole project, Director of Starting Five, Jacob Purackal (Viju) said the entire initiative is put in place with the active support of the Kerala Basketball Association (KBA), which he said is actively promoting the sport in all 14 districts.

Jacob, a well-known Kerala hoopster of the late 1960s and the first half of the 1970s said the project is designed to help Kerala regain its erstwhile glory in Indian basketball by spotting and grooming the local talents through a series of systematic and innovative initiatives. 

300% increase in talent pool

Also speaking, R Anil Kumar, who was a Kerala player of the 1980s explained how he along with Joseph C Joseph one of the promoters of Starting Five identified tools to help Kerala basketball stand to gain from the effective application of technologies in future.

“It is high time new technologies and innovative practices are put in place so that everyone involved in the game at different levels is benefited one way or the other,” Mr Kumar said. 

He also believed that this initiative with KBA will create a leap to a 300% increase in the basketball playing talent pool in the first 3 years itself.

Dignitaries Present

At the meeting noted film personality Siby Malayil launched the website of the Starting Five. He also recalled his association with the sport at SB College Changanacherry and SD College Alappuzha.

Viju Jacob, Chairman Synthite Group released the logo of Starting Five on the occasion.

Speaking earlier, business leaders Thomas Georgie Muthoot (Director, Muthoot Fincorp), Navas Meeran (Chairman, Group Meeran) and Firoz Meeran (Managing Director,  Meeran Sports), KBA President Manohara Kumar, Life-time KBA president P J Sunny, former Secretary Dr M M Chacko, KBA Secretary C Sasidharan, former international Mohamed Iqbal, Ex Indian captain C V Sunny, Regional Sports Centre Executive Secretary S A S Navaz, Kerala Football Association Secretary K Anil Kumar, Director of Starting Five Ajikumar Nair and Team Rebound Secretary K A Saleem spoke on various aspects of the initiative.

Model for Other States?

The President of Basketball Federation of India Aadhav Arjuna joined the event live online from the US congratulated KBA for being the first State in India to rope in a private partner to build the game and suggested that more states should follow such partnering structures with corporates.

***

If you've come this far...

Appeal to readers - ₹₹ Support Ekalavyas: Ekalavyas is India's first and only basketball media company. We are not foreign-funded, nor investor backed. Your support and encouragement have got us this far. We now need your financial assistance to ensure we can keep providing you timely, accurate and important information. Please contribute via https://razorpay.me/@ekalavyas​ 🙏🏾. We are accepting contributions as low as Rs. 1/- (including a small processing fee charged by the payment gateway provider). Thank you for playing a part in keeping media independent and objective!