Pavna Group of Industries enters handball ecosystem as UP franchise owner

In a major boost to the sport, Premier Handball League (PHL) launched Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh, as the new franchise by South East Asia’s leading automotive parts solution company, Pavna Group.

Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh is owned by the Pavna Group, a ₹500cr business house involved in sports, manufacturing and education with a presence in India as well as abroad and has been successfully operating for over 50 years. The franchise will be amongst the six teams that will take part in the much-anticipated inaugural edition of the PHL. The league had earlier announced Garvit Gujarat as its first franchise.

PHL, exclusively licensed by Bluesport Entertainment Pvt Ltd under the aegis of Handball Federation of India (HFI), aims to commercialise the handball ecosystem in the country and the association of the Pavna Group with the league will not only strengthen the commercial viability but also bolster its mission of promoting handball across the country.    

“We are delighted to welcome the Pavna Group to the PHL family as this development bolsters our aim to rebuild Indian handball and make it a commercial product where it benefits not only the players and coaches but also the stakeholders and brands. With the right intent and approach, handball has the ability to attract brands as well as investors and we are confident that the PHL blueprint will help to give a complete makeover to the sport. We are glad that committed industry leaders are finding business opportunities and gains in the Sport,” said Manu Agrawal, CEO, BluesportEntertainment Pvt Ltd.

The Aligarh-based outfit, a market leader in South East Asia, is also making its presence strongly felt in Europe. Headed by the young entrepreneur Swapnil Jain, a multi-faceted man who shares a deep interest in the sport, it aims to promote handball in Uttar Pradesh and put the state on the global map by creating world-class athletes from the region.

“Handball is a popular sport and most schools in India have included it as a part of their sports curriculum. But with time its popularity has faded. We intend to ensure handball regains its glory and by joining hands with PHL, we hope to achieve this goal. While we, as a company, have been invested in sports equipment manufacturing for a long time, we wish to make a difference in the lives of the youth by bringing them closer to the game,” said Swapnil Jain, Managing Director, Pavna Group of Industries.

The first season of PHL, which is set to take place next year, will bring an exciting and never-seen-before experience to the audience and will also provide Indian players the opportunity to rub shoulders with top international players from across the world and enhance their skills.