Mngomezulu: Clubs need to do more to boost profits

Football Clubs looking for a financial buzz will need to take care of the needs of their fans and look outside the field to explore the potential of their products, says FIFA instructor Frederick Mngomezulu.

Majority of Ghanaian Clubs rely solely on gate proceeds, TV broadcast rights plus fees from the league's sponsorship deals.

For most, it's inadequate as they are left with huge gap to fill up in the running of their operations for just one season.

Speaking on the sidelines of a five-day seminar on the Club Licensing Regulations for Ghanaian Clubs in Prampram on Thursday, Mngomezulu, the C.E.O of the Swaziland Football Federation said Clubs need to be creative to increase business opportunities.

"Currently, our people get into stadiums because they've got some traditions around this Clubs. But we are trying to teach the Clubs that there is lot that goes. They need to deal with their products. Make sure that they provide one of the best products for their people. It doesn't mean that if the two most popular Clubs in Ghana are Kotoko and maybe Hearts of Oak and everyone must follow," Mngomezulu told www.ghanafa.org.

"Even those who consider themselves to have the smallest following, you may find that in terms of business, they may be making the biggest business because what is important is what goes on internally in terms of the business processes within that particular Club.

"It's not just about the numbers but about the service that we provide to the people that will determine whether we will succeed both on and off the field. Success in football nowadays is not success on the field by winning trophies but at the end of the day, it's also off the field because that is where money lies in football."

For Mngomezulu, the Club Licensing document can help Clubs improve their operations and their products.

"Surely, the implementation of such a programme will take the game in Ghana to soaring heights. The biggest component in football is marketing. What we've since discovered is that, we didn't know we had to take care of our fans, yet football fans around the world are the measures of some revenues to the Clubs and we all know that for our business to drive, we need more resources and resources, currently are not adequate. If you can find means to increase our business opportunities and to attract more resources to our coffers as Football Clubs, then that's the way to go."

"And not only in that including the quality of the game. We may be talking about having the quality but there's still much more room for improvement in terms of the quality of the game. We may see more players going oversees or even our league attracting more players from other shores to play in our league. Then in that way, it shows that the Licensing programme is going to be a great plus to for our football in Ghana."