From the sidelines to the soul of the game
I have always believed that sport is more than a scoreboard. It is a language of courage, belonging, and transformation. My name is Nimisha Jagasia, and my life has been shaped by one constant rhythm, the game of field hockey.
For more than a decade, I have lived and breathed this sport. Not just as an observer or strategist, but as someone who has seen how a stick, a field, and a dream can rebuild entire communities.
A Journey Across Fields and Continents
My career began far from home, in Dubai, where I first entered the world of media and performance analytics. The fast-paced environment taught me how to read not only the numbers but the human story behind every play.
From there, life took me to Malaysia, a country that lives and breathes hockey with passion. Working with regional teams, I learned the importance of grassroots engagement, that the real spirit of sport begins in small local fields where ambition is pure and powerful.
Later, in London, I expanded into global sports marketing and analytics, contributing to some of the most prestigious sporting events in the world. I have worked across three World Cups and three Olympic Games, 2015, 2020, and 2024, focusing on performance analysis, audience engagement, and strategic development.
Those years taught me precision, resilience, and the unspoken poetry that lives inside every game.
From Analyst to Advocate
Over the years, I worked as a game and performance analyst, collaborating with international teams, coaches, and federations. My goal was to translate data into insight, to turn statistics into stories that could empower both players and managers.
But somewhere along the way, my focus shifted. I realized that while global sport was evolving rapidly, grassroots sport in India, especially hockey was being left behind. The game that once gave India its pride needed vision, advocacy, and voices again.
That is when I decided to come home.
Building the Future of Indian Sport
Returning to India was not just a decision. It was a calling. I wanted to bring everything I had learned abroad, the technology, the storytelling, the structure and use it to rebuild Indian hockey from the ground up.
Through community-led programs, hockey clinics, and social initiatives, I have been working to revive the game’s spirit across the country. My focus now lies in social entrepreneurship through sport, empowering young athletes, mentoring local coaches, and building sustainable ecosystems that create change beyond competition.
To date, I have led over 40 on-ground projects, impacting 1,200 young athletes across 8 Indian states.Each project has been a small revolution. Each one a reminder that sport can change lives.
Sport as a Social Movement
Today, my work sits at the intersection of performance and purpose, bridging the gap between elite sport and everyday access. I collaborate with schools, NGOs, and local leaders to make sport a vehicle for education, equality, and empowerment.
To me, hockey is not just a game. It is a reflection of who we are, resilient, creative, and ready to rise again.
Every time I step onto a field in rural India and see a child pick up a hockey stick for the first time, I am reminded why I began this journey.
The Vision Forward
My journey from analysing Olympic teams to mentoring village players has taught me one truth.
The future of Indian sport will not be built in boardrooms. It will be built on the ground.
Through my social venture, I am committed to connecting data with dreams, performance with purpose, and sport with soul. This is not just a career. It is my life’s work to ensure every child, regardless of where they come from, has the chance to play, to learn, and to belong.