With proceedings in the 2nd lap of the MTC Namibia Premier League (NPL) 2015/2016 season set to kick off on January 23, one is extremely excited and can’t wait for the action to get underway – especially the feverish three-horse title race atop the log standings, featuring Tigers, Black Africa and Orlando Pirates.
But while enthusiasm reigns supreme, one is equally concerned with the continuous poor crowd attendance at matches, coupled with the monotonous style of football displayed by the clubs year in, year out.
Without going into the usual blame-game of “who is doing what and who and is not doing what”, as a lot has been said over the years about the persistent lack of interest in local football matches, my question remains: are the NPL and the clubs really doing enough to lure supporters back to the stadiums?
The answer is pretty straightforward and it is NO! The league authorities and clubs have done nothing, if anything at all, to resuscitate the ailing fortunes of Namibian football.
If memory serves me right, the NPL last year appointed a fulltime marketing and communications officer, tasked solely with marketing and developing effective plans and strategies to enhance the overall image of the league and its affiliates.
Maintaining a healthy and professional relationship with the media and all relevant stakeholders (supporters, sponsors, etc.) is one key role of that department. But the results are not really forthcoming…
Marketing of the game, where are we failing?
For us as journalists it’s a job and we have no choice, but to endure the humiliation of covering a match where the only two sounds one hears is that of the players on the pitch and the dotting sound of the ball, but now imagine the paying customers – the spectators- having to pay N$30 or N$50 to watch a game, where 25 fans are in attendance and the quality of football on display is an eyesore.
All these sorry experiences suffered by the fans week in and out clearly boils down to the issue of poor marketing and the refusal (or inability) to think out of the box. Yes, we do see the chitter-chatter on various social media platforms, but it’s never about Namibian football, as it is mostly about foreign leagues.
The world has revolved and it’s high time the NPL and the clubs move along with the trends of the times by marketing and maintaining a strong bond with their supporters and by constantly being in touch with them prior to and after matches, via various mediums such as radio, television and now most importantly, Facebook and Twitter.
From the sports perspective, one way to get people to the stadium is to make them excited again about their team and ensure a regular supply of content that will sustain interest. One has to find a unique story about the club that will catch people’s attention and motivate them enough to engage.
With any business concept, in order for a product or brand to burnish and reach its full potential, it is important to ensure that the brand is attractive, well marketed, easily accessible and creates a sense of belonging, or represents in some way the interests of the targeted consumers.
But in the Namibian case, 87% of clubs in the NPL are not even active on social media platforms, while their interaction with supporters on radio and TV prior to and after matches is simply non-existent.
It’s really high time for clubs, including the NPL, to jack-up their act and occupy that space.
Trust me, I’m fully aware and well informed about the financial constraints clubs face, but it does not even require one to have N$10 to open a Facebook account, so let’s aggressively explore that option.
Secondly, all radio stations in Namibia air sport shows on a daily basis and a slot for local sport news is always made available free of charge, so what’s the excuse?
The honest truth here is that most Namibian clubs lost the connection or bond with their fans many moons ago and platforms such as radio, which reach all corners of Namibia, will come in handy – especially in enticing fans to attend matches.
NPL administrators sending weekend league fixtures to the media and calling it a day at 5 o’clock do not really help much, as the media alone cannot promote football matches. It is entirely up to the clubs and the NPL to take that responsibility and make sure matches are well marketed.
The importance of multiple partners in football
Many supporters demand club merchandise, such as club jerseys and T-shirts, but those items come at a cost and Namibian clubs do not yet boast the financial muscle to carry that load. So, that’s why multiple partners are required in football, and not just the league title sponsor.
For example, with the English clubs or league, the English premiership has a league title sponsor, Barclays Bank; then they have other partners, like Topps Merlin, who are the official sponsors and partners in licensing agreements.
They also boast many partners, such as Nike (Official Ball), Electronic Arts (Official Sports Technology), Carlsberg (Official Beer) and ITW Graphics (Official Letters and Numbers).
I know our league or clubs aretoo small to attract multiple sponsors, but let’s give it a try, because there are willing partners out there. It’s just a matter of putting a great proposal in front of them.
Namibian clubs don’t need much, as 60% of their expenses are taken care of by their monthly league grants, so what they need to do is go out and secure additional partners, especially in the areas of transport, accommodation and branding.
For example, let’s talk about a local club striking reciprocal deals with a local transport company, an accommodation deal with NWR, and a branding deal with big institutions like Cymot, Pick ‘n Pay, Woermann Brock to mention a few.
If a club can strike such deals, then they automatically know whenever they have away games they would be camping at a nearby NWR resort and their branding or posters will be put up in every Cymot, Pick n Pay or Woermann Brock store countrywide and transport issues will be sorted likewise.
So are the NPL and clubs still really telling us that they have done enough? As I said, I highly doubt that.
In the Namibian context, football should – in my opinion – be the number one sport, but boxing continues to enjoy prominence in almost all arenas, from sponsorships, publicity, great and timely organisation of events – partly due to the overall accessibility and friendliness of promoters, such as Nestor Tobias, Kinda Nangolo, etc.
As we head into the New Year, let me also take this opportunity to wish our esteemed readers a happy, sportive and prosperous 2016.
Until next time – Sharp, Sharp!