Sports entrepreneur and philanthropist Siddhartha Upadhyay is leading the change in sports at grassroots levels through STAIRS, a not-for-profit organization working towards sports, education, health and skill development of children across India.

Siddhartha Upadhyay is a recipient of prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, from the President of India.

As the founder and secretary general of STAIRS, he also represents the organization in Steering Committee for FIFA U-17 World Cup, BRICS U-17 Tournament, Mission XI Million Programme and a programme of Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society, formed by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (Govt of India).

Expressing his happiness over the appointment of Siddhartha Upadhyay on Governing body of Sports Authority of India, Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports Vijay Goel said, “Mr Upadhyay has been recognised for his efforts to build grassroots football, and he will be an asset for the Ministry. He is now part of the governing council, and I am sure that his inputs and ideas will help us structure new policies pertaining to sports.”

Commenting on his appointment to the governing body of Sports Authority of India, Siddhartha Upadhyay, Founder and Secretary General, STAIRS and Governing Body Member of SAI said, “My mission has been to empower youth to climb the ladder of success by enrolling them in sports and education. As a member of the Governing body of Sports Authority of India, I look forward to contributing towards sports development through a grassroots approach while broad basing the ecosystem to produce more champions.”