Insight into the role of a Team Manager Tête-à-tête with Sakar Sharma

Tarun Kaboo – MSM 1

Sakar Sharma is all but 26 years of age, diving a bit into the past, he won his first title as a team manager with the Jaipur Pink Panthers in 2014 when he was just 22! What goes into the making of a successful team manager in a sporting property as huge as the Pro Kabaddi League? In the inaugural installment, Sakar had to play 5 different roles ranging from the Team manager, Operations manager, Media manager, Kit manager and Marketing manager.

This was due to lack of professionalism in the field however things have changed some years down the line and he has a host of dedicat- ed individuals working under him in each of these verticals. Today, the most important thing he deals with is man management when it comes to picking the right mix of players and developing a great bond with them by recruit- ing the best coaches, physios and other related staff.

The other key aspect he highlighted is that of motivation, “At the end of the day if the player is not motivated enough, he will not perform to his potential. As such the skills of pro-activeness, observation, analysis and observation are very vital for a manager.”

Sakar will switch on to the ISL post kabaddi and on a conclud- ing note he said that the role of any sports manager is not the same, it is uniquely carved out depending upon the kind and requirement of a particular game, thus the willingness to adapt is the most important skill to possess.