I got personally curious; I wanted
to know why the Harp brand decided to partner with these 5 teams among the 21 clubs
in the elite league. The Managing Director/ Chief Executive officer (CEO), Guinness
Nigeria Plc, Semi Adetu said, "The financial terms remain exclusive and at
the clubs disposition to disclose. We've chosen these clubs because they are among
the best and are the traditional clubs in the country.
Mr. Adetu's analysis is relatively
correct. Enugu Rangers and Heartland may rightly be seen as the traditional clubs
with lot of fan base in the elite league, but 3sc and sharks fall into this category.
Again, looking at the overall best team in Nigeria as well as the current best,
then Enyimba and kano pillars would have been included in the numbers too. I think it is a matter of preference. For instance,
I don't know why Dolphin was chosen ahead of Sharks or kano Pillars. But again,
it's a matter of who the Guinness brand would like to associate with or be allowed
to associate with at this time. Enyimba and 3sc had already signed shirt sponsorship
deals with Dubic lager last year.
One of reasons why corporate organizations
are not moved by shirt sponsorship in Nigeria football is because of media blackout
(the media only passively cover NPFL) and the fact that fans don't put on Nigeria
clubs jerseys.
While Joma signed up Enyimba and
Owu signed up 3sc, both sport wear manufacturing companies are trying to change
all that by making these teams jerseys available to fans, so that sport wear manufacturers
and corporate shirt sponsorships could enjoy more brand exposure.
We all agree that Harp has a good
deal with Enugu Rangers, who is still in Caf champions league and currently among
the top 3 clubs in the current NPFL result table. Although, Heartland and Lobi stars
are out of Caf cup competition, but Heartland has become one team that will always
be on the spotlight during FA cup. They won it the past 2 years and are the current
champion of Super-Four.
Lobi stars and Sunshine stars
are also top contenders of NPFL trophy. So Harp brand would likely enjoy maximum
exposure across Nigeria and the entire Africa, from its association with these clubs.
On the other hand, the clubs are
so excited, Guinness Harp is well known brand in Nigeria and the rest of the world.
The club representatives spoke about the deal and their excitement at the unveiling
ceremony.
"I am proud of what Guinness
have done here today. I'm happy that they've
partnered with us. It's like I'm in Europe with this kind of event." said Dominic
Iorfa, the chairman of Lobi Stars.
"This is the first of its
kind since I came back from USA. This is good for the clubs as the sport cannot
be backed by government alone." said Ozor Paul Chibuzor, CEO of Enugu Rangers.
"This is unique because most
times corporate bodies only identifies with successful teams at the end of international
competitions. But Guinness Harp has proven to be different. We're hopeful that after
this contract, we'll be able to renew it next year." said Fan Ndubuoke, Heartland
general manager.
