NPL CLUBS LOST MASSIVE TICKET REVENUE - As VIPs Put "A Big Hole" In Their Pocket

 Ever since football fans in Nigeria began their love affair with English Premier League (EPL), ticket revenue in most stadium has dropped by over 60 percent in Nigeria Premier League games. That's alarming for a league presently without a sponsor and most of the participating clubs doesn't even have shirt endorsements. If you think that's incredible, then you aint seen nothing yet.

I was at Nnamdi Azikwe stadium to see the game between Enugu Rangers VS Sharks of Port harcourt, and I did see something more alarming. You can't believe this, virtually everyone were flashing ID cards, Policemen, Civil defence, Red Cross, Boy scouts even MASSOB and local vigilante groups were all showing their ID cards to get into the stadium free. That's very bad in it's own right, but you could even excuse these people, since the popular side were always looking empty and you need them to fill the seats, so the league would have respectable view when SuperSports broadcast the matches on TV.

But what of the Very Important Personality (VIP) side, which are usually filled to the capacity. You may say sold out, since the seats are concessionary and the prices are much more higher; some officials even have permanent seat reserved for them. You could imagine how much the clubs would be making to cover the loose sales from the popular side. But it would beat your imagination to know that almost everyone at the VIP side also got into the stadium free. They got in with different nomenclatures - The governor and his entourage, commissioner and their entourage, the team manager and his entourage, Ex-internationals and their friends... were all allowed to get into the stadium free. So how are these clubs going make money to finance their projects.

 You may have the assumption that these caliber of people are those financing the club. Amazingly, you'll find out that it's not like that. It's only the governor that disburse money to finance the club. So then, why are these guys getting free admission into the stadium. I will tell you why.

Although, most of the VIPs' has the capacity to donate big time to the club, but no one has ask them to do so. No one has organize a fundraising event and call on them to donate for the club. No one has sold  season's tickets to them or get them to subscribe for those concessionary seats at the VIP side. So you don't blame them, everyone loves freebies.

This is one of the jobs a club marketing department does. Your club will do better to regain lost revenue when you recruit and empower a marketing department. They're trained and have the essential know how to deliver more revenue to the club. Alternatively, your club may hire an external sport marketing agency to do the job and help your club breakeven as well as make profit. This is why GreenHunters Sports International is so vital to the future of Nigeria football.