YOURS truly has absolutely no difficulty in acquiescing to the humble request made by MTC as principal sponsor of our flagship football league in conjunction with the Namibia Premier League (NPL), to throw our weight fully behind the beautiful game of football in whatsoever way. And if this be so, wherein does anyone have cause to quarrel and what demonstrations has anyone held forth to settle all of us to another course of action? Football in general and sponsors alike deserve more, but the real custodians of football,the clubs, have not done their part in promoting and marketing the game that has become their mainstay and a source of livelihood for many.
With the prevailing high rate of unemployment, football has become the daily bread of many unemployed youngsters and therefore requires maximum exposure if we are serious in taking our game to the next level. Many a football club in our domestic flagship league dwells in a comfort zone with very little exertion, if any at all, to entice the masses through the turnstiles for the simple reason that their bread is buttered on both sides through the hefty monthly grants from the league authorities,while the match officials are also well taken care off. It is the sole responsibility of clubs to attract people to the stadiums, especially when they are playing at home, but alas how does a team like Ramblers expect to draw a decent crowd to their matches when they are constantly playing their home matches at neutral stadiums around Windhoek. Clubs should pay more attention to the question of marketing for therein lies their chief weakness. Do club bosses really take marketing seriously or are they flying blind through cloud and mist? Take the example of Katutura glamour football club African Stars, arguably the envy of every honest football lover in our neck of the woods. This club is drawing thousands of people to their home matches.
Oops! Not only home games, but wherever they play be it in Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Otjiwarongo, Keetmanshoop, Oshakati or any other place on our shores, the Reds are sure crowd pullers and this could be attributed to their excellent marketing efforts. The person who deserves credit for this is none other than the club’s long serving servant, one Uahira Tjirondero, who has made it his sole beat to mobilise supporters from all corners of the country to rally behind the team. This is a man who certainly deserves a pat on the back for his tireless efforts, but when it comes to rewarding people at the annual NPL Awards in recognition of their achievements, the accolades more often than not go to less deserving individuals, because of their close links to influential people within the administration of football and not necessarily to those who have demonstrated dedication and loyalty to the continuous growth of the beautiful game. This is once again a clear demonstration that many people within our football administration are clueless when it comes to the value of marketing. As a corollary to the prevailing ignorance about the indisputable power of marketing, it is absolutely regrettable that there is a dearth of outstanding personalities Give me hope, light my fire or leading lights in our domestic league and that accounts for the empty terraces on match days. Football bosses are unable to galvanise fans and to compound matters there are no inspiring individual players to draw fans to football matches.
Yours truly has said this before and will not be shy to repeat it for the umpteenth time and that is the fact that the majority of footballers in our topflight league don’t deserve to ply their trade at the top level, let alone playing the game of football in organized structures. These blokes are just not up to scratch – and that’s the bottom line. How I wish one could turn back the clock and bring back the good old days when fans would flock to the stadiums en masse to watch their favourite footballers in action. The current game lacks captivating personalities and entertainers in the mould of Querra Jacobs, Gerros Uri-Khob, Sputla Masite, Juku Tjazuko, Norries Goraseb, Doc Hardley, Petrus Shitembi, Congo Hindjou, Lucky Boostander, Puli Seibeb, Skii Steenkamp, Lolo Goraseb, Mannetjie Kaimu and many other greats from the past, as well as the recent past. I rest my case.
By Carlos Kambaekwa