30/09/2023
HOW TO USE RESOURCE MOBILISATION IN AFRICAN FOOTBALL
Many african Football Clubs biggest challenge is finance.
A Football club may need money to fulfill fixtures, pay players or complete a project in building a physical structure at the clubs grounds.
Finding money maybe a challenge With little revenue coming from gate takings, players sales and other commercial activities.
One club in Ghana has however overcome these challenges by building a brand new dressing room through mobilising resources from the teams fans.
The new dressing room called the " People's Project" was built using the resources for fans of Ghanaian club Bofoakwa.
According to Ghanaiqn Sports Journalist Saddick Adams it's been constructed with cash and material contributions by fans and well wishers of the club in less than 50 days which was just in time for the venue to pass for its premier league return.
Fans who couldn’t contribute in cash offered labour services.
This is something that many African clubs can do and here are a few tips on how to achieve this.
1. CONNECT WITH FANS AND THE COMMUNITY
Fans and the community found around a club can be a huge resource to help it build it's brand and also physical structures.
One challenge in African Football is that such fans and community can be ignored by clubs.
Doing small things such as announcing names of selected fans who are influential before a match can help in making them feel appreciated.
Other times is making them feel special by doing something different for them.
At Lusaka Dynamos we had a police officer from Chawama who would bring us cases of water from time to time and we would allow him into the dressing room as a show of appreciation for his contribution.
2. BUILD A COMMUNITY
Why many African Football clubs struggle with attendance is not the quality of football.
It's the fact that they have not built a community around the club.
In the English Premier League some fans form fan groups just to go and sing and cheer on their team.
English Premier League clubs recognize these communities and help them thrive and that's one of the reasons they have such food attendance
A community is going to the stadium with your freinds, or just to enjoy the atmosphere, or hear the debates and arguments Pa Konkili ( The stands/terraces)as we say in Zambia.
Barcelona at one time offered their pitch for wedding ceremonies when they were struggling with resources.
While others laughed the Spanish Giants knew that it was a way of bringing community members closer together.
Who wouldn't want to continue watching matches at the pitch they got married on?
All in all a club that wants to achieve what Boafakwa have done needs to bring the community closer to them.
If you are a club that wants Tips on how to achieve this you can inbox on 0977601201
Punch The Zambian Football Entrepreneur.
Pic Credit: Saddick Adams