Lamenting over lack of professionalising sports activities in Meghalaya, Indian Institute of Management-Shillong Director Prof Ashoke K Dutta today proposed to set up a business model for sports development and management for gainful employment generation in Meghalaya. Meghalaya has abundance of talent, but there is still much room for professionalising various fields and disciplines of sporting activities, he said during a discussion on Effective Sports Management: A Catalyst for Performance . The discussion was organized by IIM-Shillong through its Centre for Development of North Eastern Region (CEDNER) and attended by various sports associations from the State. Prof Dutta also underscored the need of elements such as responsibilities, mandate, structure, organization, processes and information in Sports association, performance assessment and accountability to be realised as an interactive and interconnected system within the different organisations. Participating in the discussion through live video conference, Prof Douglas Michele Turco of Drexel University, US, highlighted the importance of collaborative academic research in this regard identifying multiple research areas like Market Research, Feasibility Studies etc through tie-ups between sports associations and academic institutions. This way the sports manager gets much better equipped to assess market potential and develop new products and services, Prof Turco, an expert in the field of sports management and research and development, said. Prof Turco had been involved with the Commonwealth Games, US Open Golf Championship, FIFA World Cup, ICC Cricket World Cup and a host of other global sporting events. He also suggested development of off-mainstream sports events for the North East in due consideration of her bountiful natural resources. Attended by leaders of various sporting federations and associations of Meghalaya, the one day meet was well appreciated for providing thought provoking dimensions towards sports and the possible research and developmental aspects, which could boost the functioning of the different sporting bodies. IIM Shillong must continue taking the agenda forward. While we know that there are problems, IIM Shillong can share its expertise through its on ground commitment to help make a difference, Meghalaya Swimming Association president Joe Marwein said. Echoing Mr Marwein, Meghalaya Cricket Association Secretary, Naba Bhattacharya said, It is time various bodies meet regularly and come up with a unified solutions to a unified problems. It is nice to know that we can bank upon the IIM to look for expert advice, and bring in a palpable change in the scenario of sports development.