WINDHOEK – Newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Namibia Premier League (NPL) Harald Fulle strongly believes that professionalising domestic football will remain a pipe dream until critical questions around trust and brand reputation are fully addressed with current and prospective stakeholders.
Fulle, who was officially unveiled yesterday at the NFA Football House as new head of the NPL secretariat, said that is an area he is fully prepared to tackle head-on as he is of the opinion that potential sponsors can only come on board once they are fully convinced that the NPL brand aligns with their values and principles.
“We can only professionalise our league once the issues of trust is taken care of amongst our valued stakeholders. We would like to create trust with potential stakeholders and also with our current sponsors, who are highly valued. Our football is in need of more sponsors and more partners to come on board in various capacities but that can only be achieved if trust is assured amongst stakeholders,” said Fulle responding to media queries as to how he would transform NPL in one year.
Fulle was offered a one-year contract by the league and has been tasked with developing and transforming the NPL into one of the best administered and organised leagues, and to also build trust amongst all stakeholders, including the general public.
The veteran administrator has also been tasked with turning the NPL into a transparent and accountable institution and also strategically assist NPL clubs in becoming more competitive and professional – and all that has to be achieved in one year of his contract. “I wouldn’t want to leave this organisation in one year when my contract is over, that is a fact. In this one year, we want to build a good basis and foundation that will enable us to run a good league. It will not be possible to build a house in one year, so for now the focus is on building a good foundation and hopefully finish the house, that’s if I’m still around but if I’m not around, whatever person that will come in will surely find a good foundation to move on, he added.
Asked why the new CEO was only offered a one-year contract, especially considering the massive tasks and responsibilities that lays ahead, NPL chairman Patrick Kauta said their decision was influenced by the current sponsorship agreement the league has with MTC and FNB Namibia.
“Our sponsorship agreement with MTC and FNB only has one more season remaining on it and that somehow forced us to be realistic and offer contracts that are in line with available resources. So once we engage our valued current sponsors in a few months from now and hopefully have our sponsorship agreement extended, we will obviously look into issues of contracts and overall performance of the CEO, and that will determine the way forward,” said Kauta.
NPL’s new Marketing and Public Relations Officer Andre Gariseb was also unveiled yesterday and immediately hit the ground running by launching and activating a fresh Facebook page for the league, where latest score updates and other relevant league activities will be communicated with the media and the general public.
On his part, Gariseb said he wants to harmonise relations between the league, the media and the public by creating strategic and accessible communication channels, where all stakeholders will constantly remain in sync with all league developments.