IN the aftermath of the signing of the dream multi-million dollar Media, Sponsorship and Commercial Rights deal on Tuesday last week between the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) and Bangladesh-based Total Sports Marketing (TSM), ZIFA president Dr Philip Chiyangwa can afford a sigh of relief.
Chiyangwa inherited a heavily indebted football governing body that has overnight turned into a typical rags-to-riches case-study.
The mega deal, brokered by Chiyangwa and signed by TSM chief executive officer Moinul Haque Chowdury, could see the football association netting around
US$40 to US$100 million for hosting an inter-continental tournament for the next eight years.
The figures will, however, depend on the number and class of the teams that will agree to participate in this competition, which will be dubbed the ‘Robert Mugabe Afro-Asia Inter-Continental Football Tournament’.
And the beauty of it all is that the revival of junior football structures that had become moribund under the disastrous reign of Cuthbert Dube tops the list of priorities of the mega deals.
For once, an intensely hyped football project looks set to come to fruition as ZIFA puts the country’s football under global spotlight.
“TSM shall annually dispatch sponsorship funds in the amount of US$500 000 to ZIFA for the sole purpose of establishing and operating a youth football academy which will be jointly managed by the two parties through a trust,” said Chiyangwa.
Now, following the dismantling of South African ABSA Premiership giants Mamelodi Sundowns by Zimbabwean reigning premier league champions Chicken Inn at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday, the Chiyangwa deal could not have come at a better time, especially with the proposed revival of the junior football structures.
There has been little doubt about Zimbabwe’s potential.
We have, through junior football structures, produced the likes of the great Peter Ndlovu, his brothers Madinda and the late Adam.
We have produced stars like Vitalis Takawira, Moses Chunga, Claudius Zviripayi, Desmond Maringwa and Japhet Muparutsa, to mention but a few.
On the international scene, the famous Dream Team took the world by storm with dazzling football.
Many will remember Harare giants Dynamos’ exploits in African Champions League in the 1998 final against Asec Mimosa of Ivory Coast.
Were it not for the madness of Confederations of Africa Football president Issa Hayatou who allowed an Asec player who had head-butted Dynamos skipper Memory Mucherahohwa during warm up, to play the match, DeMbare would have written its name in African football history.
In 2008, at the height of the worst economic challenges to hit the country, DeMbare defied the odds by reaching the semi-finals of the African Champions League.
This is talent.
It needs to be nurtured.
The wonder of this deal should be celebrated, not scorned.
South Africa should be inspiration to the Chiyangwa deal.
Below is a report by an online website venturesafrica.com on the success of the South African league.
Like most other sports in South Africa, the football league has been significantly monetised.
The premier division is sponsored by ABSA, a financial services provider, while the cup competitions also have notable corporate sponsorship and partnership with corporate luminaries like Nedbank and MTN being heavily involved.
The main reason corporate partnership has proven to be viable is that the South African football league offers real value to these brands. With the fans of various clubs all deeply passionate about their clubs, games are well attended with promising TV audiences also chalked up.
With an audience to leverage, marketing the league has been ultimately easier but it has to be said that the organisers of the league have done incredible jobs with ensuring stadium security, minimal crowd violence and affordable ticketing.
With all these in place, the South African league captures attention and eyeballs, thus providing sponsor-brands an avenue to deepen relationships and immerse themselves into customers’ conversations.
Kaizer Chiefs, 2015 champions, received about US$836,000 for their triumph while Kano Pillars, current champions of Nigeria’s Professional Football League banked 10,2 percent of that amount US$86 000 for their title win last year.
South Africa’s PSL paid out a total prize money pool of US$2,4 million while Nigeria’s NPFL paid out US$433 000 last year.
Clearly, organisation, execution and consistent branding does have its rewards.
Perhaps the biggest indication of the strength of the passion for the South Africa PSL is the Soweto derby which truly went global in 2013.
Across the Caribbean, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, the March 2013 derby was shown in 24 million households.
The game was broadcast in another 83 million households in America while other regions such as the Middle East and the United Kingdom also got a piece of the broadcast pie.
Currently, South Africa’s premier soccer league is the seventh biggest earner of sponsorship revenue among football leagues worldwide.
It is therefore not surprising that local players are some of the best paid on the continent.
The Gods have smiled on our football again, let us make it work.
Let those with ears listen.