NEW DELHI: What is common between Mary Kom, Sardar Singh, Vijender Singh , Sushil Kumar, the Indian hockey team, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal?All of them use a brand, Shiv-Naresh , that has been expanding quietly in the Indian sportswear market Based in West Delhi’s Karampura, the company's showroom and office do not come anywhere close to its illustrious competitors like Nike, Adidas and Puma. Yet it has managed to carve out a special place for itself in the market.Shiv-Naresh clocked a turnover of Rs 69 crore last year, a puny amount when compared to Adidas India's revenues of Rs 805 crore for the year ended March 2015. But the way Shiv-Naresh has made quick inroads into sports circles is unusual for a brand of its size.The reason behind its popularity with sportspersons and teams is its 75-year-old chairman and founder RK Singh, who has himself been an athlete. He remembers how he had to go to Patiala to buy the right kind of shorts when he was young.This and other similar experiences led him to set up Shiv-Naresh. He devised a clever strategy by directly targeting sportspersons since being an athlete himself he knows what exactly they want. Due to this strategy, his brand is visible now at both national sports associations and local sports clubs and akharas.“We have always believed in providing our sportspersons with the best-quality apparel. I have myself been a sportsperson. I started this company with my wife Kusum in 1980 and, at present, we employ around 600 people,” RK Singh says with a sense of satisfaction.The firm is named after his two sons—Shiv and Naresh. The elder, Shiv, looks after marketing and sales, while Naresh is in charge of production. He set up a small factory-cum-shop in 1987 and till 1991, operations were carried out from there. When demand increased, the factory was shifted to a larger place at Samaypur Badli on the outskirts of Delhi. After that, there was no looking back for Shiv-Naresh as it became the go-to brand for athletes across sporting disciplines.Shiv-Naresh now boasts of five factories and a strong presence on e-commerce websites like Amazon and Flipkart But doesn’t he feel that his firm has somehow not been able to tap the urban youth?“Yes, I agree that we haven’t been too aggressive on the marketing front but in the past we never felt that there was a need to do that. All the players and sports bodies are aware of our products. Players at the grassroots as well as international level use our products. So we never thought it necessary to advertise our products."“But after we started our association with movies, we realised the potential of the medium and with social media’s importance increasing every day, we have decided to focus on our marketing,” RK Singh says.“Everyone knows us in the Indian sports fraternity. But the common man is not aware that a brand like Shiv-Naresh exists which manufactures quality apparel at affordable prices. We have been associated with Hindi movies as a sponsor for the past three years. We started with the Priyanka Chopra-starrer 'Mary Kom' and our latest association was with 'Azhar', for which we have got good mileage,” Shiv says.Shiv reveals they are going to venture into manufacturing shoes from next year. “What separates us from Nike and Adidas is that we are not present in the shoes segment. Once we get into it, we will have more advantage in pushing our products with distributors and gain new customers,” he says.They are ambitious and know their game but can they give the likes of Adidas, Nike and Puma a run for their money?“As an emerging Indian sportswear brand, Shiv-Naresh has been smart in leveraging the growing popular culture of sports in India over the past 10 years. India will emerge as a global sporting power in the next two decades, and it is an extraordinary opportunity for both Indian and international sportswear brands to capitalise on."Shiv-Naresh is a brand at the right time, right place. As a brand, it appeals to the young emerging citizens of India who are price sensitive yet seek stylish sportswear,” says Saurabh Uboweja, brand strategist and CEO, Brands of Desire.The retailers are also satisfied with Shiv-Naresh products and have good things to say about the brand."Shiv-Naresh products are always in demand. They are giving tough competition to more established brands like Nike, Reebok and Adidas. Since it is locally made and less expensive, we find it easier to sell their products."The quality of their products is also top-notch," says a salesperson at Bajaj & Company, a leading sports retail chain in New Delhi.But does the sportswear segment, dominated by global giants, have much space for a desi company? Pinakiranjan Mishra, National Leader (Retail & Consumer Products) at EY, says the sector has huge growth potential as sports in India becomes more popular. "The Indian sportswear market is roughly Rs 7,500 crore, out of which around 40% is accounted by sports apparel. This sector has the potential to grow further in future," Mishra says.This indicates if Shiv-Naresh sharpens its brand and ramps up distribution, it won’t be long before it snaps at the heels of Nike, Adidas and Puma. Shiv-Naresh has shown that with unflinching belief and the right strategy, Indian companies in segments dominated by global giants can also dream big.