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INDIAN national Joseph Rego is a man on a mission and he believes that the Heath Streak Consultancy and Sports Development to be launched next week will in the next 3-5 years produce cricket stars of note.Rego is the chief executive officer of the development initiative being spearheaded by himself and legendary cricket star Streak. One of the best players in the world of his era, Streak now retired, is dreaming big with his friend and hopes to identify and nurture players who will be ripe for the international stage five years from now.
On Wednesday next week, Rego will play host to a dinner to attract captains of industry and other imminent persons of Bulawayo and Zimbabwe in the city. He assumed the role of chief executive officer of an ambitious sporting project to be domiciled here in Bulawayo.
He has no doubt that the dream will bear positive fruits that will make cricket the pride of Zimbabweans when it starts churning out world class players.
But who is this Joseph Rego?
He was born in the Indian coastal city of Mangalore on 28 October, 1960.
He is the eldest of six siblings. His father, the late Bobsy Rego, was a tile manufacturer and his mother Mariola Philomena Rego was a housewife.
After completing his schooling from St Aloysius High School in Mangalore, Rego graduated from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai in 1982. Cricket has always been his passion from his childhood days and he represented his school and college cricket team as an all rounder throughout his educational career.
After graduating Rego joined the St Xavier’s Institution of Mass Communication and specialised in marketing and advertising.
In 1986 he joined a leading business conglomerate in India Walchand Group as a management trainee and ever since then he has never looked back growing to a world renowned organiser and sports management consultant.
At one stage he was the senior vice-president of a big cricket websitenext.com, a high profile celebrity cricket portal in its marketing and entertainment division in 2000.
“I was instrumental in organising four major events in my capacity as senior vice-president — marketing and entertainment. Some of them were the ICC Cricket Week, a weeklong cricket extravaganza organised by the ICC in Dhaka to promote cricket in developing Asian countries. The ICC Cricket Week was followed by the “Cricketnext.com Cricket Cup” a mega cricketing event sponsored by Walchand Group’s Cricket Next.
“The Asia XI vs World XI match held in London to promote the Surrey Cricket Ground under the patronage of the former UK Prime Minister Sir John Major. Asia XI was led by Wasim Akram and the World XI by Brian Lara in the Cricketnext.com Cup. I played a major role in organising this international event as sponsors,” said Rego.
In 2001 he organised a unique and exclusive auction of cricket memorabilia of the legendary Sir Donald Bradman, in association with the Oberoi Towers Hotel in Mumbay.
Between 2001 and 2005 he worked with Ricky Ponting, Chris Cairns and Streak on coaching clinics for budding young players in India.
“It was the experience, exposure and most importantly the personal rapport that I shared with many international cricketers that shaped the birth of Global Entertainment Network in 2003. Global Sports and Celebrity Management Network is an entertainment, sports and celebrity management company that provides qualitative skills in planning, organising and executing events.
“As head of Global Sports and Celebrity Management Network, I have organised various events and brand promotions for high-profile Indian corporates. To name a few, Lux Orchid Face of 2005, Close Up Lemon Mint Smile of the Year 2006 and the Daniel Vettori – Chris Cairns Pepsodent India Contest 2007. He also arranged promotional events and cricket coaching clinics featuring international cricketers stars Streak, Ricky Ponting and Chris Cairns to promote high profile Indian corporates and financial institutions between 2001 and 2005.
He was appointed marketing agent in India for retired Australian and English cricketers by Athletes 1 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,” said the Streak initiative chief executive officer.
Over the years Rego has developed excellent relationships with top cricket names Stephen Fleming, Chris Cairns, Daniel Vettori, Ross Taylor and Shane Bond from New Zealand, Heath Streak and many Zimbabwean cricketers past and present, Brian Lara, Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul from West Indies, Hashan Tillakaratne, Russell Arnold, Mahela Jayewardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara and Chaminda Vaas from Sri Lanka, Habibul Bashar from Bangladesh, Abdul Razzaq and Mohammed Sami from Pakistan, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martin and Adam Gilchrist from Australia and Andrew Flintoff from England to name a few.
Always ready to take new challenges in his sporting life, in 2008 he established the World Future League in India. The aim of it is to establish itself as an Under-17, country based, International Junior Cricket League, providing a platform for talented, generation of next cricketers to compete at the international level.
He said the league’s objective is to identify and source talent from India and across the globe and offer young talented, less-fortunate cricketers the opportunity to participate in tournaments organised in India.
“I believe the cricketers could one day be the pride of the nation or represent any club or league across the globe that helps brighten their cricketing careers,” said Rego.
The inaugural edition was held in Hyderabad in India between 23-27 February 2010, featuring five countries – India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Pakistan withdrew their participation in the league at the last minute due to political reasons. Sri Lanka won the first edition of the tournament with Zimbabwe fourth.
That initiative offered $1 00 000 first prize of which half was allocated towards WFL Cricket Scholarships providing financial aid to young sports achievers.
Rego founded the Chris Cairns Foundation. Cairns is a former New Zealand captain and this is in support of hearing impaired children.
“In order to help underprivileged children get a better tomorrow, Heath Streak has initiated a charity trust, with several fund raising activities on the agenda. The Heath Streak Foundation brings a ray of education into the lives of thousands of under privileged and the deserving need that dot the urban landscape.
The foundation will identify needy and deserving children, who will receive aid towards their education, nutrition and health care. The foundation will raise revenue through donations, sponsorship and social activities like fundraising dinners, auction of cricket memorabilia, sporting events, exhibition cricket matches, fashion shows, celebrity appearances and various other forms of entertainment. Each year the “Heath Streak Foundation” will organise the “Heath Streak T20 Cricket Cup”, a cricket carnival in India with the participation of Zimbabwean and international cricket stars, to raise substantial funds for the betterment of underprivileged children in India and Zimbabwe. The cricket extravaganza would be followed by a fundraising dinner featuring corporate leaders and other distinguished guests.
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 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 Zimbabwean 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.
Rego said he was happy to be associated with Streak who was following in the footsteps of Ian Botham, a cricket legend who in 1988 raised funds for Leukemia Research. Cricketers since then, including legends like former Australian captain, Steve Waugh, and the former Black Caps skipper, Chris Cairns have followed suit.
Cricket has always been Streak’s passion, and, when he played it professionally, he entertained millions and won hearts the world over.
The former Zimbabwean Cricket captain has a special place in his heart for young cricketers who, like him, feel passionately about the sport, but who are deprived of proper training facilities, sports education and healthcare.
In Zimbabwe, Rego said Streak wants to do his bit for society, and has made it his mission to help youngsters from all walks of life play world-class cricket in a professional atmosphere. In order to increase opportunities for talented Zimbabwean youngsters, who are the country’s sporting future; the Zimbabwean fast bowler will launch the “Heath Streak Consultancy and Sports Development” initiative on Thursday next week.
The gala fundraising dinner has found a sponsor in prominent Zimbabwean businessman and philanthropist, Raj Modi of Bellevue Spar with other Zimbabwean companies involved.
To grace the evening will be India and Zimbabwe cricket teams and the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture will be the guest of honour.
Soon after Streak will establish a fully-fledged cricket academy in Bulawayo, aimed at imparting professional cricket training and education to grassroot level cricketers
“He will be offering them opportunities to showcase their talent and perhaps, one day proudly represent Zimbabwe at an international level. The foundation aims to support less privileged cricketers to attain a better education, healthcare and nutrition. All this will be achieved through the establishment of the proposed Cricket Academies in Zimbabwe and India, and through charitable endeavours, will help talented youth attain their dreams.
“Representing a sportsman of Streak’s calibre as his sports agent for 14 years has been a great honour for me and today being appointed chief executive officer of his honourable and noble initiative in Zimbabwe is a proud moment for me in my life. My dream is to focus on sustaining this wonderful project and I shall ensure the Academy, which Heath is in the process of setting up, would enjoy solid support not only from African companies but India too because, my priority is to establish a fully fledged professional sports academy in Mangalore to identify talent and support grassroot level cricketers. This will provide the opportunity for International Cricket Stars to visit Mangalore and train young talent in a professional cricket atmosphere on a regular basis. Streak’s initiative will benefit the country immensely in identifying, promoting and supporting talent and will help Zimbabwe to regain their past sporting glory” said Rego at a recent press conference.
Rego remains committed to seeing that Zimbabwe raises players who will be able to stand the heat of international cricket.
Rego is already in discussions with a leading advertising and sports management company from Bangalore to play host to the second edition of the Heath Streak T20 Cricket Cup 2013 in Mangalore this November.
He confirmed that a number of the big names in the game in Zimbabwe had already agreed to take part in the game set to raise funds for Streak’s foundation.
“I have obtained permission from leading Zimbabwean cricket stars to tour Mangalore this November to play the second edition of the Heath Streak T20 Cricket Cup 2013 in the coastal city. I will also be inviting some Indian cricketers who are close to me to be present at the occasion. It all depends on the support I get from the companies in Mangalore” said Rego.
Over the years several academies have come up with the best known and successful ones being the Millennium Academy in athletics, soccer’s Aces Academy, CFX Academy for cricket and girls soccer’s Inline Academy.
These have contributed significantly in the grooming of talent.
Online Reporter