Joseph Rego (second right) with benefactor Raji Modi (right) and top cricket player Sean Williams and fiancee at the Academy recently.
Lovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
INDIAN sports management guru, Joseph Rego, the man behind the Heath Streak Multi-Sports Academy officially opened by Minister of Sports Andrew Langa on Sunday, believes they are on course to achieving their dream.
He left behind a high-profile glamorous business, an aged mother, a close circle of family and friends 18 months ago in India to take up the role of establishing the academy.
His vision and mission was to see the institution named after his long time friend and client Heath Streak, prosper and channel talent to national teams with Test cricket status.
Back home in India, his sports management outfit Global Entertainment Network, represents world class cricket legends from across the globe.
A graduate from St Xavier’s College in Bombay and a diploma holder in advertising and marketing management from Xavier’s Institute of Mass Communication in the 1980s, Rego joined a leading business conglomerate in India – Walchand Group – as a management trainee and since then he has never looked back, growing into a world renowned entertainment professional and a sports management consultant.
At one stage he was the senior vice-president of the country’s high profile celebrity cricket portal CricketNext.com in its marketing and entertainment division in 2000.
He was instrumental in organising the “ICC CricketNext.com Cricket Cup” in Dhaka in the year 2000 which was an event of the ICC Cricket Week organised by the ICC in Bangladesh to promote cricket in developing nations.
He played a major role in organising the Asia XI vs World XI match held in London to promote the Surry Cricket Ground under the patronage of the former UK Prime Minister Sir John Major.
Wasim Akram led the Asia XI while the World XI were led by Brian Lara in the ICC CricketNext.com Cup.
Rego in 2001 was part of CricketNext.com that organised a unique and exclusive auction of cricket memorabilia of the legendary Sir Donald Bradman, in association with Oberoi Towers Hotel in Mumbai.
Bradman is among cricklet’s leading personalities being in a select class to run over 10,000 first class runs.
Between 2001 and 2005 he worked with several cricket veterans among them Ricky Ponting, Chris Cairns, Heath Streak and Daniel Vettori on coaching clinics for budding young players in India.
“It was the experience, exposure and most importantly the personal rapport I shared with many international cricketers that shaped the birth of Global Sports & Celebrity Management in 2003. Over the years I have developed excellent relationships with top cricketers from across the globe,” said Rego.
He was appointed marketing agent in India for retired Australian and English cricketers by Athletes1 Ltd, a sports management outfit that acts for about 180 sports people with offices in UK, Australia and other countries.
David Ligertwood, director of the company and a practising solicitor has played first class cricket for Durham and Surrey. Always ready to take new challenges in his sporting life, in 2008 he established the World Future League in India. The aim of it was to establish itself as an Under-17, country based, International Junior Cricket League, providing a platform for talented, less-fortunate cricketers from across the globe the opportunity to participate in high profile cricket tournaments organised in India.
The inaugural edition was held in Hyderabad in India between February 23-27, 2010 featuring five countries – India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Pakistan withdrew at the last minute due to political reasons. Sri Lanka won the first edition of the tournament with Zimbabwe ranked fourth. The league offered $100,000 first prize of which half was allocated towards World Future League Cricket Scholarships providing financial aid to young sports achievers.
In 2011 Rego initiated the Chris Cairns Foundation in India. Chris Cairns was a former New Zealand Cricket captain and his initiative headed by Rego in India supported hearing impaired children.
In 2012 he launched the Heath Streak Foundation in India in support of underprivileged children and child education. The inaugural edition of the “Heath Streak T20 Cricket Cup” was held in the coastal city of Mangalore, India, in April 2012 and the event was a huge success with an audience of over 10,000 spectators cherishing the spectacular entertainment provided by an International Cricket Team for the first time in the history of Mangalore.
The Zimbabwe cricket team was led by Heath Streak and had the likes of Elton Chigumbura, Brendon Taylor, Grant Flower, Mpumelelo Mbangwa, Ray Price, Charles Coventry and Alistair Campbell.
Ever one to take challenges, in August 2013 he launched the “Heath Streak Consultancy & Sports Development Initiative” in Zimbabwe with a gala fund raising dinner.
The glittering function in Bulawayo was attended by the Indian and Zimbabwean cricket teams, past and current cricketers and their families, members of the Sport and Recreation Commission, international and local media, captains of trade and industry, heads of schools, socialites and distinguished guests.
Hailing from a political and business background, Rego’s father, the late Edward Rego, was a tile manufacturer and mother Mariola Philomena Rego, a housewife.
Rego attributes his success and drive to Mie Muraoka, his wife. “She is my best friend, advisor and guide in life and is a Japanese national. I am a staunch Roman Catholic, and I admire His Excellency President Mugabe and I dedicated this achievement to the President of Zimbabwe, the children of this country and the people of this nation.”
Rego said the Heath Streak Foundation would not be where it is today if not for the support by Bulawayo philanthropist Raji Modi who has sunk in a fortune and other Bulawayo businesspeople.
He said chairman of the foundation Eliphas Mashaba has been a guiding force who like Modi and a number of Bulawayans will some day see the fruits of their labour when children from less privileged environments stand up to the challenge and compete at par with those coming from more affluent backgrounds.
Situated at MacDonald Club in Bulawayo, the club will also house other sporting disciplines with an idea of also creating national team stars.