Rakesh Kumar Yadav, a young man from Balia, Uttar Pradesh who is an angel to many young and aspiring athletes in India. He started his journey with Puma India, in Bangalore in 2012.
His journey of supporting young athletes started when he met athletes in Bangalore who were struggling to meet their basic needs like not having access to grounds, purchasing jersey and sports equipment were luxury to them.
He went out of the way and helped them in getting kits, jerseys from Puma and sometimes from his own pocket as well. He continued to work there for a few years and realized there are a lot more other players who have talent and are struggling to meet their basic needs. He met few players in Uttar Pradesh and in 2019 took a plunge to open the Dream Sports Academy in Banaras and second academy he is opening up in Chitrakoot.
He believes in India, only elite athletes, national and international players get opportunities and sponsorships, but the support for grassroots sports persons is very meagre. Though there are plenty of sports enthusiasts in India, the opportunities available for them are meagre. There are no proper coaches, broken infrastructure, no sponsorship and no training facilities for budding athletes. Support for grassroots players in India is absent.
His goal is to help underprivileged to full fill their dreams. His vision is to make champions in India and he believes in every nook and corner, there is no shortage of talent. All they need is support and some funds to go forward.
Rakesh’s aims to bring young Indian athletes under the global limelight and break barriers for athletes.
