Sport

Melbourne is Australia’s sporting capital, with its venues including the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) presenting memorable experiences for Indian visitors to Australia. There are opportunities to bring Victoria and India together through our shared love of sport.

The 2018 Strategy raised the profile of the Victorian sports sector in India by increasing sports tourism. Strong partnerships and connections built with India in the sports sector since then demonstrate our shared passion across community and professional sport, fan engagement, and the business of sport.

Since 2018, the Victorian Government has:

Partnered with Cricket Australia to deliver the Indian Summer Festival coinciding with the 2018 Australia vs India Boxing Day test match.
Delivered a series of outbound and inbound sports missions with India, including two SportsTech trade mission to India in 2018 and inbound missions to SportNXT in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

These activities have laid the groundwork for future collaboration across various sports. This includes India’s second most popular sport kabaddi (a contact team sport originating in India), and sports with growing interest such as hockey, tennis, and basketball, as well as Victorian staples, such as cricket, AFL, and netball.

Victoria has developed world-class capability in high-performance sports science and athlete management, cutting edge SportsTech, modern media and broadcasting, design and management of sporting infrastructure and supporting gender equality and inclusion. Victorian universities’ expertise in sports management is highly regarded in India and there is increasing interest in our sports educational and professional services.

India’s sporting sector is growing rapidly. By 2027, it is projected to be worth around $1.5 billion. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most popular cricket league in the world, but interest in other sports, such as hockey, wrestling and athletics, is increasing. Initiatives such as the Khelo India Scheme are developing sports infrastructure at the community level and public and private sports academies are nurturing the next generation of elite Indian talent.

What's the opportunity

Victoria is well positioned to continue building on the professional and community sports connections we share with India. The shared passion for sport, scale of the market, and combined expertise on both sides (across the breadth of the sports economy, such as SportsTech, sport management, sports education, and major event delivery and venue management) provide ample opportunity for partnership.

Community sport is a powerful platform to help promote inclusivity, gender equality and social connections. Supporting a variety of community sports will continue to promote inclusive cultural and multicultural understanding.

Key statistics

Contributes $9.2 billion to Victoria’s economy annually.
Can also act as an anchor for investment attraction and cultural engagement
Major events calendar that bring people together:
- The AFL Grand Final
- The Boxing Day Test
- The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix
- The Australian Open tennis.

Case studies

In 2024, Cricket Victoria launched the Melbourne Cricket Academy (MCA) in partnership with Indian sports company KheloMore Sports. The MCA will provide high-quality cricket coaching and development opportunities to equip participants with the skills, knowledge and confidence to excel in the game. The MCA is set to launch in several Indian schools in the first quarter of 2025.
The MCA stems from Cricket Victoria’s Indian Schools Strategy to deliver structured coaching programs and foster growth of cricket in Indian schools. The partnership with KheloMore Sports provides crucial on-the-ground support in Indian schools.
To develop the MCA, Cricket Victoria leveraged the strength of its international relationships, including connections within the local India-Australia business community in Melbourne. Support from Victorian and Commonwealth Government networks and individual consultants was invaluable in understanding the environment and identifying key contacts in India, ensuring the successful development of the program.
'The Melbourne Cricket Academy is a great example of the power of cricket in building closer relationships between Victoria and India. Cricket Victoria is keen to build upon India’s cricketing legacy by collaborating with Indian schools, creating new opportunities to deepen our shared passion for the sport and foster meaningful connections.'
Nick Cummins, Chief Executive Officer, Cricket Victoria
Hockey has long been a shared passion and connection for Victoria and India. Key moments include India winning the gold medal for men’s hockey at the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956 and Australia and India playing in the women’s hockey final of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006. The Bollywood film Chak De! India was also filmed with local hockey talent at Victoria’s State Netball and Hockey Centre in Parkville, Melbourne.
Victoria’s Indian community is playing a growing role in hockey at all levels of the game. Hockey Victoria has worked with local clubs and the Australian Hockey One (H1) League to support growing participation rates, fan engagement and player development opportunities for the local Indian community and Indian international players in Victoria and Australia.
Hockey Victoria is developing a relationship with the Government of Odisha and the Odisha Hockey Association by supporting grassroots and professional hockey connections, including mutually beneficial player, coaching and high-performance exchange opportunities.
Through this relationship, Hockey Victoria is working towards the creation of a new Victorian-based hockey franchise. The goals are to provide a visible, engaging and community-focused team for both male and female talent, and to inspire fans of hockey across both countries, particularly those migrating to Melbourne and Victoria, to engage in hockey and physical activity.

Updated 17 September 2024