Bring Home the Legends The launch of India's first and only online celebrity-commerce company, Collectabillia, brings icons closer to their billion fans    Bangalore, 21st December 2012: As a devoted fan, if you have always dreamt of owning Christiano Ronaldo's jersey, Mike Tyson's gloves or Sachin Tendulkar's bat, your dreams can now be a reality. With the launch of Universal Sportsbiz Pvt. Ltd.'s (USPL) celebrity-commerce brand 'Collectabillia', a piece of sporting legacy is within arm's reach. India's first online celebrity-commerce firm, the company is built to cater to an untapped market of the sports enthusiast in the country, offering opportunities for fans to collect and own personally autographed memorabilia. Backed by Accel Partners, of Facebook and Angry Birds fame, Universal Sportsbiz Pvt Ltd's celebrity-commerce venture is live on its online platform www.collectabillia.com.   Collectabillia's repository of sports merchandise will be available for sale online at a fixed price and includes jerseys and kits of India's young brigade Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza; and international football merchandise associated with the legend Pele, English footballers Wayne Rooney and Steve Gerrard, Brazilian sensation Kaka, and UEFA Euro top scorer, Christiano Ronaldo. The awe-inspiring collection also includes items autographed by tennis stars Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova; golf legend Tiger Woods, swimmer Michael Phelps and celebrated F1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. "The aim of Collectabillia is to allow fans a closer and deeper association with their icons, while offering them fresh avenues to express their passion. The pieces of history that are available online have a unique emotional connect to the celebrities - like the first hundred bats that Sachin Tendulkar autographed after his hundredth hundred or a pair of personal gloves autographed by Mike Tyson; items that allow enthusiasts access to possessions that signify moments they cherish", said Anjana Reddy, Founder and Managing Director, Universal Sportsbiz Pvt. Ltd, on the launch of the website.    "This is a great and unique initiative, and a good opportunity for me to connect with my fans, allowing them to own a part of my journey. A sportsperson owes a lot of his success to his supporters, and I truly believe that Anjana's initiative allows us to personally connect with every fan and every enthusiast that has made us", commented master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar whose exclusive merchandise is available on the website. Tennis sensation Sania Mirza who is one of the first few women to lend her name to this initiative, opined, "The idea of collecting visual merchandise of your favorite sports stars, while a novel idea has not been a reality in India. Unlike abroad, where every child, teenager and adult has access to a piece of his favorite icon, in India that has not been a possibility. I am glad Anjana is making this a reality here." Olympic bronze medallist, Saina Nehwal, who believes that a champion is built on a commitment to hard work and a quest for excellence, hopes that her merchandise available online will inspire people to follow their passions. Commenting further, she added, "Through Collectabillia, I have the opportunity to connect with my fans on a personal level, inspiring them with my achievements and also sharing with them a part of my journey with mementos that are very special to me."   Expressing his thoughts on the venture, charismatic youngster Virat Kohli re-affirmed the opinion of his mentor and hero, "I am who I am today, thanks to my many fans, and I believe that this is a great platform for me to personally reach out to them. I am glad that with every personal item that is available on Collectabillia, everyone owns a piece of me." Sounding enthusiastic about the novel idea, Yuvraj Singh added, "My dedication and my passion to my game, is fuelled by the passion and dedication of every single supporter who backs me. This platform provides an opportunity to each and every one of them to truly feel part of the historical achievements that they have helped build." With its assortment of extraordinary keepsakes symbolising the sporting spirit, and in a market that is poised at the same juncture as art ten years ago, Collectabillia aims to encourage the collection of memorabilia along the same lines as that of art, numismatics and philately, while educating people on the benefits of collecting memorabilia as a strong investment opportunity in times of volatile stock markets and fluctuating real estate values. With recent auctions of sports memorabilia including Abhinav Bindra's rifle, Roger Federer's racquet, Baichung Bhutia's Jersey fetching handsome bids, the sports memorabilia market in the country seems to have a vast potential, waiting to be tapped, following a global rising trend.     Apart from the autographed merchandise that allow supporters to 'own the moment', the website also retails sports equipment and apparel through C-Mart, and offers an assortment of items that includes Manchester United jerseys, Tennis, Badminton and Table Tennis equipment and is equipped to hold auctions online, allowing collectors from across the globe equal access to items that are going under the hammer, bidding for highly valued possessions from the comfort of their homes.     With Collectabillia's online platform going live, highly prized souvenirs reflecting momentous events in sport will be a click away for thousands of enthusiasts, allowing aficionados to own rare pieces of sporting history, such as a Roger Federer jersey worn while he kissed his Wimbledon Cup or a Rooney owned boot that scored a winning goal. With Collectabillia, Anjana is striving to build a strong and sustainable market for these collector's items, allowing a fan to truly own moments of history