We go the distance with sports

Why is Sachin Tendulkar our brand ambassador? Why are Manchester United coaches training kids in Mumbai? Why is Apollo sponsoring TOR trucks? All I can say is – we are big about sports and big about going the distance. It is the energy, the passion and ambition that sport unleashes that appeals to us. The Apollo Tyres brand is about leaving no stone unturned. It also expresses our commitment to building communities. So, we build pitches outside Manchester United and launch "bad road buddies" - a robust community of SUV owners/drivers - to build communities.  

I see Sachin as a perfect fit for Apollo as both have a determination to drive them and those around them to reach newer heights. Just as Sachin leads his team towards victory in the face of the toughest opposition, so Apollo Tyres drives the nation towards certain progress and development.

Apollo is about going the distance. Sachin too, in his journey has gone from milestone to milestone beating every hurdle, from greatness in cricket to the Bharat Ratna, to love and respect across the globe.

Our Go the distance programme aims to profile sports personalities and organizations that are doing noteworthy work in creating access to sport for the community and enabling the next generation of sports stars. The campaign will showcase inspirational stories of the identified personalities, felicitating them at ISL matches, and supporting them in their initiatives. It’s about promoting drive and ambition.

I also launched the "Road Buddies initiative" last year to offer budding off-roaders and enthusiasts a platform to come together and discover the roads that are less travelled across the vast Indian terrain. Our first edition of #BadRoadBuddies helped the off-roaders experience the Apollo Apterra tyres, which are designed to tackle the rough roads with ease, making the journey more thrilling. It was a huge success. We aim to build #BadRoadBuddies as a robust community of SUV owners/drivers. 

We work with communities both in rural and urban areas. I am particularly proud of our Apollo Tyres Rural Community Sports Engagement Programme, which aims to support rural communities by adopting a village and enhancing the overall sports ecosystem in these villages. The concept is to develop a sporting culture in the targeted belt/state/zone by motivating the players to play a sport of their choice and take the Apollo brand closer to them by extending a helping hand to the sports community.  By March 2020, the programme aims to cover 3072 Villages and will see a minimum of 36,800 players benefitting from this scheme. This is one of the largest community engagement programs with multi-dimensional tangible and intangible benefits. 

 Our sports initiatives are also about offering opportunities and opening doors. We recently launched a pan-India initiative, the “United We Play” programme in partnership with Manchester United to encourage young footballing talent and give them a platform to showcase their skills. The top performers of the programme get a once in a lifetime chance to participate in training sessions with the Manchester United U-18 team that will be touring India in May 2020.  Isn’t that spectacular! Over 4,000 students across the country will undergo the selection process and only the top 32 will grab a coveted spot to train with Man U’s under 18 teams. 

The selection criteria is based on the Manchester United Soccer School’s philosophy which focuses on inculcating values like teamwork and leadership, while also focusing on the technical, tactical, and physical development of players. 

 This year we are also sponsoring Tor Truck Racing throughout the 2020 season of the FIA European Championships. After all, we are leaders in the trucking business and racing is all about going the distance!