SPORT MARKETING WORKS: Why Empty Stadium Give Me Empty Feeling About Nigeria Premier League

Every time I see empty seats at the stadium or while watching Nigeria premier League (NPL) on TV I feel so empty and disgruntled. Why I feel so is because I know there are people out there that would love to work for football clubs and help them get fans who have never been ask to fill those seats or even persuade the ones who no longer have interest in the league to start attending again.

I felt I have the solution. It was the conviction that motivated me to start "GreenHunters Sports International" in 2007, after many investors told me the business idea may not work in Nigeria. But I became more convinced after watching a South African League game that was made so exciting by the mammoth crowd dance - drama rather than the football game itself. I wanted to help NPL clubs fill the stadium to capacity each match day.

I wanted to get fans excited again, so I started "Cheer on Nigeria" blog to promote the Nigerian brand - inspire fans as well as correct perceived abnormalities in the management of the sport.

I realized my calling as a lifelong football practitioner, who played the game at the amateur level, owned and coached a grassroots team, then went on to study sports marketing at Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) level. I came to understand that all these trainings and experiences I garnered over the years were to bring about change in the life of people and to transform football into an economic driver in Nigeria.

The fact we cannot deny is most Nigerians are so obsessed with football. Over 80 percent of the 150 million Nigeria population consume football somehow. The passion is even more in the north. For instance, even without any form of marketing, the 18, 000 seater Bayero stadium is sometimes filled to capacity when Kano Pillars FC is playing. It's amazing that we have such large market that has not been tapped. We also have a league that has the potentials to rank among the best in the world. Marketing the sport holistically will bring about a change in the way fans perceive Nigerian brand of football.

There are passionate football enthusiasts who want to get paid to work in the profession like sport marketing. Anyone who can sell tickets and fill those empty seats should always have a job. It's no secret that technology (DSTV, Internet, and Smartphone) is making it more challenging for teams to sell out their stadium capacity. What we have today are fans who are exposed to global football. A fan in Nigeria can support a team in far away England, Spain, Italy, Germany...from the convenience DSTV brings to their homes or from their Smartphone anywhere they go..

This is one of the reasons your club needs marketing support to increase her revenue. Only sport marketing practitioners know how to connect with fans and to persuade them to attend league games more regular; irrespective of their support for some foreign clubs.

When the stadium is filled regularly, it will attract the media and soon sponsors will begin to flood in to deliver the big bucks. GreenHunters Sports International can help promote your team - sell tickets, manage your media relations and broker sponsorship deals with top brands. If you are interested in our services, please call 08098772556 or email: gh.sports1@gmail.com