Managing A Football Club in Nigeria - The 360° Approach

 

A White Paper written by Benson Chukwueke, A Sport Marketing and Management Consultant, CEO GreenHunters Sports International

The view point of the management team of any club is what eventually plays out in the administration of the club. Managing a club can become a heckling task if the management team are parochial (have a narrow outlook) in their approach or myopic (short sightedness) in their view...as we largely see in Nigeria. 

It is poor administration that plays out really. The outcome is seen in the form of players unrest over unpaid wages, poor state of accommodation and general welfare of players/coaching staff. 

Clubs are majorly funded by their state government as a non-profit youth development venture. Therefore, club management wait for government disbursements to the club and grossly mis-manage the funds. 

In most cases, the funds are truly not enough to execute the laid down plans, yet corrupt club managers divert funds meant for players or other operational matters, for their personal use. They just sit on the armchair not making any effort to grow the club's revenue or raise fund to pursue their season targets and long-term goals. 

I am not trying to indict anybody, but lack or improper accountability and poorly managed players as well as coaches’ engagement and transfer processes are some of the anomalies bedeviling clubs in Nigeria.

The situation is such that good players would rather play abroad and the league is looking rag-tag.. bad pitches, security challenges and other shambolic operations cause spectators to stay away, and would not even watch on TV. 

Assembling a management team that can adopts 360° view in managing the club will be the answer to all of the anomalies mentioned above. 

We can reference a club like Manchester United and learn from the management style..I mean, the management of the group, the players, the coaching and other staff. “That's a team, a group of big players and big names to manage so it isn't that easy to manage the biggest football brand in the world. 

Think about  Sir. Alex Ferguson’s management style, on the pitch and off the pitch – the 360° management of the football club as a whole. 

Manchester United have it's culture and playing with players from all over the world with different cultures and different habits – it’s about absorbing those different types of things into becoming an advantage for the club. 

360° management style view their operations from the passion of fans that follow the club, the kind of players and coaches they want recruited and this is important to maintain a certain kind of club culture and bonding with fans...to keep them coming even when the club isn't doing so well. As they say "football is nothing without the fans." 

Fans are the ones that directly consume the games and support the club both financial and otherwise. They attract the sponsors, the endorsements from corporate brands, everything should revolve round the fans. Managing a global fan base becomes easy with 360° management style, that understands what make such massive fans following 👣. 

360° management adopt aggressive marketing approach in daily engagement of fans, not only during games alone.  They also engage brands for partnership association that can help them activate and achieve their corporate/ brand goals and objectives. 

Adopting 360° management approach is to take a holistic view of every aspect, then have a clear plan and set targets

1. Have an alternative financing plans, other avenues of earning revenue as well as raising funds apart from government subversions. 

2. Set up an aggressive marketing approach to engage fans, sponsors, advertisers to keep coming and bond with the club. Media and community relationship that hypes the club's brand. 

3. A clear human resources model for contracting and transferring players. Going the extra mile to fulfill contractual remuneration obligations and robust motivational bonuses to drive your players and coaching staff to not only put in their best but become loyal to the club. 

4. A clear operational plan for both home and away games. Excellent logistics in travels, lodging and feeding. Match day secruity for referees and away team etc. 

Club President must have competent personnel to head each of these departments: Accounting, marketing, human resources and operations and coordinate them for synergistic effects.