Push Sports: How Is It Revolutionizing Sports Education and Safe Play Across India?

The Indian sports tech market is expected to grow from USD 1.2 billion in 2022 to USD 3.5 billion in 2027. In this industry, a company making a great name for itself is Push Sports.

Push Sports is one of the fastest-growing sports-tech companies in India. The company is known for helping children learn sports better and making safe places for them to play.

In this article, let's learn more about Push Sports, its founders, journey, business and revenue model, funding, and more.

Push Sports - Company Highlights

Push Sports - About
Push Sports - Industry
Push Sports - Founders and Team
Push Sports - Startup Story
Push Sports - Vision and Mission
Push Sports - Name and Logo
Push Sports - Product/Services
Push Sports - Business and Revenue Model
Push Sports - Launching Company Strategies
Push Sports - Challenges Faced
Push Sports - Funding
Push Sports - Competitors
Push Sports - Future Plans

Push Sports - About

Push Sports is one of the fastest growing sports-tech companies in India, and in a short span has managed to transform sports learning for over 6000 children across 20+ locations and transformed over 2 lakh square feet area into safe play arenas across 65+ projects. The company also has over 3000 active pay-to-play customers across its locations. A full-stack, sports solutions company, Push Sports is on a mission to empower individuals and educational institutions, world-class sports education programs with a vision to make India - a sporting superpower.

Established in 2016, Push Sports started as a cricket academy and by 2022 transformed into an end-to-end multi-sports management solutions brand. The company is driven by a dynamic team of over 100 passionate sports lovers and is backed by leading investors from across the world - including Beyond Seed, Ah!Ventures, PokerBaazi and most recently, Piyush Bansal, Founder, Lenskart and Vineeta Singh, Co-Founder, Sugar Cosmetics in Shark Tank India Season 3.

Push Sports - Industry

Grassroots sports is USD 10 Bn market in India and Push Sports is broadening it by creating the necessary distribution through their network of sports arenas. They feel it’s not a winner-take-all market and they want to develop digital tools and processes that regional players can use to improve the level of service delivery, especially in the sports education space. They see that this industry will develop into a massive employment generator in the next 10 years as the entire ecosystem is getting catalysed by Govt initiatives, private investment and changing consumer preferences.

Push Sports - Founders and Team

Puru Singh, Co-Founder is a former state cricketer from New Delhi who quit his job in Air India to start Push Cricket in 2016-17. Nitin Pahuja, Co-founder of Push Sports, grew up in a cricket-loving family was working in a top bank when he met Puru during a cricket match and recognizing the potential impact of Push Sports in filling the gaps in sports education, Nitin became an investor in the venture.

Over time, as they witnessed the increasing demand for Push Sports services, Nitin roped in Mukul Grover (Co-Brother in law) as the third co-founder and also transitioned from his corporate role to join Push Sports full-time in 2020. Since then, three of them are driving the success story of Push Sports where Puru leads the core sports education business, Mukul drives the infrastructure and franchise business and Nitin leads the finance and investor relations function. They have built a team of 80+ coaches and sports professionals who are passionate about transforming grassroots sports and dedicated towards Push Sports' vision of making India, a sports superpower.

Push Sports - Startup Story

The teams’ deep-rooted love for sports sparked a profound passion of building a business around it. Reflecting on their personal experiences, they identified a significant gap in the guidance and opportunities accessible to young athletes in India. This realization served as the impetus for establishing Push Sports. Driven by this aspiration, the team embarked on a mission to bridge the gap in sports education at the grassroots level. The business started as Push Cricket in 2016 with a cricket academy and then transformed into a complete sports solution company by 2022.

Push Sports - Vision and Mission

Push Sports’ mission is to work with educational institutions and individuals to catalyse their sporting journey and to build sports programs that can help catalyse India’s growth into a sports superpower.

Push Sports - Name and Logo

“India’s New Playground” is an assertive expression of confidence and zeal of the new India that is ready to compete with the best. Push Sports has a vision to make India a sports super-power and that journey starts from the playgrounds at the grassroots level. But unlike playgrounds of the earlier days, Push Sports Arenas are world-class, safe and bring together a potent ecosystem of top-notch sports training, competitive growth and recreational interventions. Push Sports arenas are the cradle for talent and altars for bringing about fitness revolution with sports. That's why they are Push Sports. India’s new playground.

Push Sports - Product/Services

Push Sports, offers a comprehensive full-stack sports solution aimed at revolutionising sports education in Schools and recreational sports for young adults and Corporates. Their product/service includes tying up with schools to develop and maintain professional-level Infrastructure, training, guidance, and opportunities for students. Push Sports develops sports infrastructure, runs sports programs, and designs sports curriculum tailored to each school's needs. With a team of over 80 coaches covering 10+ sports, they offer structured programs that cater to diverse interests and skill levels.

Push Sports' innovative approach addresses several key problems in sports education, including the lack of professional guidance and infrastructure in schools, limited opportunities for students to explore various sports, and the need for a structured and comprehensive sports curriculum. Their unique selling proposition lies in their ability to provide end-to-end solutions, from infrastructure development to program operation and monetization.

One of Push Sports' notable innovations is its use of technology to enhance the sports education experience. They employ advanced assessment tools to track students' progress and tailor training programs accordingly. Additionally, Push Sports utilises technology to support its operations, including managing infrastructure bookings, coordinating coaching schedules, and facilitating online registration for programs. By leveraging technology, Push Sports ensures efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability in delivering its services to over 6000 students across various schools.

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Push Sports - Business and Revenue Model

The business model of Push Sports consists of three primary units. Firstly, they undertake Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) projects for schools, where Push Sports designs, procures and constructs sports infrastructure.

Secondly, Push Sports operates a sports education unit within schools, collaborating with Physical Education (PT) teachers to design tailored sports programs. Additionally, they offer after-school sports programs, utilising the time after school hours (3 to 7 PM) for academic operations and encouraging students to participate in sports activities. Hyper-local children are also welcome to join the after-school academy.

Lastly, Push Sports generates revenue through pay-to-play bookings for corporates on weekends and weekdays after the after-school academy hours.

Pricing for EPC projects varies based on project scope and duration of lease agreements. Revenue from sports education programs may involve a mix of fees from schools and after-school program participants. Pay-to-play bookings for corporates typically follow an hourly pricing model, with profit margins dependent on operational costs and facility utilisation rates. Commission structures may vary based on partnerships with schools and corporate clients.

Push Sports - Launching Company Strategies

Working with academic institutions helped them significantly as they got access to a captive audience to pitch their services to. They have undertaken minimal marketing till now and most of their success has been due to word of mouth which has only been possible because of their team of 80+ coaches leading with execution with precision.

Push Sports - Challenges Faced

• They have been able to convert their challenges into opportunities. Example:
• They did a complete rethink during Covid and came back stronger by covering over 10+ sports and not just cricket opening a much larger market for themselves.
• They have been able to focus on both growing their arenas and maximizing capacity utilization across operational arenas by focusing on professional and recreational sports simultaneously
• They have built an extremely strong pool of coaches who are trained and ensure stickiness for the students
• They are not just a strong coaching academy, they are a full-stack solution providing infrastructure, training and competitive exposure.

Push Sports - Funding

Push Sports - Competitors

Some of their Top Competitors are:

• Edu Soorts
• Fitso by Cult.fit

Push Sports - Future Plans

They want to expand to 5 new Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities in the next five years and expand their area count to 100+ arenas from the current 20. This will serve about 1 lac sports enthusiasts each month.

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FAQs

What is Push Sports?

Push Sports is a sports-tech company in India focused on transforming sports education and infrastructure.

When was Push Sports founded?

Push Sports was founded in 2016.

Who are the founders of Push Sports?

Puru Singh, Nitin Pahuja, and Mukul Grover are the founders of Push Sports.

How many locations does Push Sports operate in?

Push Sports operates across 20+ locations, serving over 6000 children and transforming over 2 lakh square feet area into safe play arenas.