Nita M. Ambani presents the inaugural Reliance Foundation ESA Cup at Stoke Park, Buckinghamshire, UK
Stoke Park/Mumbai, 28th June 2023: Mrs Nita. M. Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation presented the inaugural Reliance Foundation ESA Cup to Diego Schwartzman at The Boodles Tennis event at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire. The Boodles is truly unique - an exhibition tennis event that is the most lavish warm-up for The Championships at Wimbledon – a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience, at Stoke Park which this year celebrates its 19th anniversary and is taking place from 27th June – 1st July 2023. It is a heady mix of high-calibre tennis featuring tennis superstars, combined with a day of unmatched hospitality on the manicured lawns of Stoke Park’s 17th-century estate. It has a fun English garden party atmosphere, with world-class tennis being played in intimate and beautiful surroundings. The award of the Reliance Foundation ESA Cup will be presented on each of the 5 days of The Boodles tennis.
On Tuesday, (27th June), Mrs Nita M. Ambani presented the inaugural Reliance Foundation ESA Cup to the winner Argentinian, Diego Schwartzman,and made a donation to Action4Youth, based in Buckinghamshire, UK which we know is a cause close to today’s winner’s heart.
Speaking on the occasion, Mrs Nita M. Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation said “It was an absolutely amazing atmosphere out here as we got to watch some great tennis and celebrate the importance of sports in bringing a community together. The opportunity of also serving charitable causes through a day of great sporting action makes this even more meaningful. I wish and encourage all the young people in this community to take up any sport of your choice and bring to yourself and to those around you the spirit of enthusiasm, conviction, positive attitude and resilience to life, the joy that we hope will also make this community an even more charming place to be in.”
The Education and Sports for All (ESA) initiative is a comprehensive development program run by Reliance Foundation (CSR arm of Reliance Industries Ltd) under the leadership of Founder and Chairperson Mrs. Nita M. Ambani which supports various initiatives that promote holistic development and equal opportunities in education and sports for children. With The Boodles Tennis challenge, the ESA initiative will be spreading its wings outside India. After impacting the lives of millions of people in India, the programme will now aim to touch the lives of children at Stoke Park and seek to make sports accessible for everybody while also inspiring the next gen to take up sports in their daily lives.
Galaxy of stars assemble at The Boodles 2023:
-Excitement is high as 2023 sees the return of this much-loved event post the pandemic and Stoke Park’s owners, Reliance Industries Limited are looking to deliver the greatest Boodles experience yet! Seven of the world’s top 20 men’s tennis players are playing in The Boodles tennis this year, including tennis stars Stefanos Tsitsipas (world no.5), Holger Rune (world no.6) and Andrey Rublev (world no.7).
Reliance Foundation and ESA:
- Mrs Nita M. Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation, and the first Indian woman to be elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee, has played an instrumental role in developing the sporting infrastructure in India from the grassroots level across football as well as athletics. The organization has also made a vital contribution to the Olympic movement in India by supporting various athletes across various Olympic sports.
- Since 2010 Reliance Foundation has impacted the lives of over 69.5 million people across India through its initiatives in Rural Transformation, Health, Education, Sports for Development, Women Empowerment, Disaster Management, Arts, Culture & Heritage and Urban Renewal.
- Reliance Foundation's various sports initiatives have impacted the lives of 22 million young people across India. The Reliance Foundation Education and Sports for All (ESA) is one of the key programmes of Reliance Foundation, which supports various initiatives that promote holistic development and equal opportunities in education and sports for children. Every year, thousands of children through NGOs supported by Reliance Foundation in addition to several other experiences that ESA offers to underprivileged kids for joy and celebration through festive education and sports activities.
Inspiring the next generation through Education and Sports for All
- This year, in India, ESA Day was dedicated to inspiring the girl child. Over 19,000 young girls from 36 NGOs and 200 special children watched an Indian Premier League cricket match live at the stadium an opportunity that the Reliance Foundation Founder & Chairperson hoped would inspire more girls to take up sports. Read More.
- In continuation of the Education and Sports for All programme in India, ESA expanded to performing arts, as Mrs. Ambani dedicated the final two shows of ‘The Sound of Music’ for 3400 children, from humble backgrounds, including especially able kids and senior citizens at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, a first-of-its-kind, multi-disciplinary cultural space in the sphere of arts. Envisioned by Mrs. Nita M Ambani, it aims to preserve and promote India’s rich art, culture, and heritage through varied art forms. Read More.
-The Reliance Foundation ESA programme, through Stoke Park’s community outreach initiatives, is committed to supporting causes that have a positive impact on the local community. These efforts include working together with charities on various initiatives to inspire and encourage children and young people in education and sports in the local area. This includes supporting local athletes, talent inclusion and local sporting events, as well as various education initiatives to support local schools, with a special focus on supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
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About Reliance Foundation: Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries Limited, aims to play a catalytic role in addressing India’s development challenges through innovative and sustainable solutions. Led by Smt. Nita M Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation is relentlessly working for the overall well-being and enhanced quality of life for all, focusing on rural transformation, education, health, sports for development, disaster management, women empowerment, urban renewal and arts, culture and heritage, and has touched the lives of more than 69.5 million people across India, in over 54,200 villages and urban locations. More on www.reliancefoundation.org
About Reliance Foundation Sports: Reliance Foundation celebrates the spirit of sports – joy, health, grit, determination, winning and losing. And works to ensure that more and more children and youth from all sections of society can play sports and, in the process, build a fitter, stronger and more active India. Our initiatives have touched the lives of over 22 million young people since 2013 across the country from 13,000 schools and colleges, enabling an opportunity for a talented kid anywhere to be able to achieve their dream of a career/glory in sports. We are especially committed to ensuring more presence and success of girl and women athletes in India and design our programs in a manner that offers them maximum opportunities. At Reliance Foundation, we hope to be the wind beneath the wings of Indian sportspersons and help them reach their true potential.