The New Decade 2020 and The Hope We Have For A Rapid Growing Football Industry in Nigeria

With the new year now in full swing, which coincidentally marks also the start of a new decade 2020 - 2030, I felt it is a better time to share these few thoughts with our football administrators, league/ tournament organizers, club owners, team managers, coaches and footballers... of the need for all these stakeholders to form a collective front in growing football business in Nigeria.

We just have to give the football industry a breath of life or it will die! Many specialists and analysts say it's in a comatose state now.

We are very hopeful that this year may mark the beginning of new things in our football industry, as the Youth and Sports Minister, Samuel Dare has taken steps to turn around sports as a whole in Nigeria... from being a social service to becoming a serious business.

We're confident that very soon all abnormalities in the industry will be addressed... as soon as President Muhammadu Burhari assent his signature and the NFF bills finally becomes enforceable law. Then NFF can also be able to implement all the recommendations of the reform committee. While all these are in the offering, there's the need for stakeholders to begin to understand how the business of football works and develop the right perception, the right mentality.

As long as club owners and team managers in Nigeria see winning at all cost as the name of the business, then they will continue to engage in activities that would rather kill the sport than build it. And there will hardly be that common front to grow the business.

Activities such as match fixing, hooliganism, killing, maiming match officials and making the stadium look like a war zone, is scaring fans away

Football is not about winning really. Everything we do in football is about the fans...to keep them engaged, to keep them coming and asking for more. In fact, football is nothing without the fans.

Understand this, football is in the entertainment business. When a club play in an empty stadium and nobody is listening on radio, watching on television or internet platform like Youtube, then who are they entertaining?

Let's spell it out, we are in the fans conversion business! The more fans you interest and convert, the more money your club makes [QED].

When a club regularly fill their stadium capacity with fans attendance... with extension fans eager to listen on radio, watch on TV or on other social media platforms... then gate-entry ticket revenue will increase substantially; Television and other media right will become competitive and corporate brands will come begging to partner and sponsor the club or the league.

Winning trophies isn't where the money is, but it's become a means to an end... capturing fans interest. The stars, the team culture and style of play, the marketing ability and creativity sum up to give fans experience that regularly captivate their entertainment utility.