RE: ET TU SWAG AWARDS (PART ONE)

These are indeed golden days of democracy, freedom of speech and of course high
level of tolerance and we are all at liberty to express our views on any day and on
any issue.

With this, one will not fault, Nana Yaw Asante Yeboah (great respect) for making his
views known on the SWAG Awards, but in the same vein, as member of the Association,
i deem it expedient to react to the article with the title “Et Tu SWAG Awards”.

One wonders where the writer of the article was coming from, taking into
consideration the fact he seemed to be comparing SWAG with almighty Federation of
International Football Association (FIFA) with over 50 affiliates who pay
affiliation fees each year, with massive sponsorship from multinational
organisations and close to ten international competitions organised almost each
year.

It was indeed an interesting comparison because it was just out of order and place,
especially when one considers the fact that, the Confederation of Africa Football
(CAF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) cannot even rub shoulders with
FIFA let alone SWAG. And for him to go that extent, brings to the heart worries over
what panellists of today have been feeding our listeners with when they go on radio
to do analysis.

The writer may be right by raising questions over the timing of the events which
sometimes comes late in the year hence reducing the significance that it comes with.
It is a valid point, but to state it along FIFA was just reckless, more so when he
has not done any research to find out why the SWAG Awards has been late in coming
each year.

I cannot, but agree with his sentiments because to reward 2008 award winners in
later 2009 is indeed worrying but he has lost sight of the fact, we are in country
or better still a continent, which hardly sees economic improvement but a decline
each year and the main source of funding which is from corporate bodies are just not
available.

Again, he has lost sight of the fact that, times have changed over the years with
almost every organisation squeezing money out of few corporate bodies to organise
one event or the other as compared to the last 20 years where the situation was
different.

Indeed those glorious days he was talking about were without “Ghana’s Most
Beautiful”, “Talented Kids”, “Who Wants to be Rich”, “Just Like You” just to mention
a few and there it was easy to make inroads when it comes to sponsorship.

With almost four years in mainstream organisation in SWAG, i have come to understand
the difficulties and dynamics involved in searching for sponsorship, hence my
decision to keep my pens in my pocket and avoid any comment after Ghana League Clubs
Association (GHALCA) failed to get sponsorship for the about to end Top Four
Tournament.

The business of sponsorship is indeed a difficult one and GHALCA for me deserves no
blame after their failure. If i may ask how many corporate bodies has Asante Yeboah
being able to work out to sponsor his dear Great Olympics when they were in the
premiership? He could only boast of representing on Great Olympics –the once great
club, back to the wilderness.

If he cares to know, you don’t need to be an executive or management member before
working out sponsorship for your organisation.

Unlike the early days of the SWAG Awards, where it was almost the only event in the
country and therefore very easy to secure sponsorship from organisations and
individuals, the situations has entirely changed and his idea of SWAG BiG Do can
definitely not be as it was.

If he cares to know, he should check from the records whether, the event was never
organised in the later parts of the year under the leadership of Ebo Quansah, a
period he sought to describe as glorious before coming out with statements that are
not factual.

Just as there are arguments that Kwame Nkrumah, would have things different if he is
to return to rule Ghana, or Mohamed Polo would have things different if he should
return to the field today so will the great past leaders of SWAG will have things
different if they should return as leaders in today’s world with serious economic
difficulties.

The leaders he mentioned are still alive and can take the pain to check from them if
they will sincerely tell him that they could do better today in the face of the
difficult economic problems which has now become a global phenomenon.

As a roaming panellist on radio stations, a supposed expert on sporting issues, one
would have expect a more detailed, in-depth comparative analysis with concrete
suggestions aimed at helping the Association to overcome the problem, but only
succeeded in critising and doing a lopsided analysis.

However, one is not surprised because that has been the trade mark of present radio
sports panellists who jumped from one station doing their own version and
understanding of what they call analysis.

On the issue of prestige, the SWAG Awards remains a unique sporting event in Ghana
because we honour not just footballers but all sports men and women in all sporting
disciplines and it will remain so for generations.

It is indeed prestigious to date, because the award winners hold with high esteem
the SWAG Awards no matter the time frame, but the recognition it comes with. He is
at liberty to check from the likes of Mercy Tagoe Quarcoo, Kwame Amponfi Jr, John
Mensah, Micheal Essien and recent award winners for confirmation.

What is it about the rush for tickets? Asante Yeboah should just visit the office of
SWAG at the Stadium between, August 29-September 4, and see for himself how people
rush to the office to pick up their invitation cards for the event even though it
may be coming a bit late. We have always filled the Banquet Hall with over 700
people, so what is Asante Yeboah talking about?

SWAG Awards invitation cards are still high in demands and people start asking of
the event at the start of every year and hit our phone lines asking for their
invitation cards, hence his issue about the event being no longer as prestigious as
it used to be is just not valid. It remains a prestigious one and i am ready in my
personal capacity to offer him an invitation card to the next event.

As a regular panellist on radio discussing issues, i bear him no grudge and do not
wish to state that there a lot of “wa waaaaaaaaa” talks are on the radio, unlike
writing where you have sit and put your thoughts together and subject it to editing
and polishing before coming out with your piece or even going on air with a news
item that has be well presented to make the needed impact.

The house of SWAG is in order, because for once in our history we have a well
functioning secretariat at the Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra with two members of staff
who manage the day to day administration of the Association. We have so far
organised three seminars with one more in sight to upgrade the knowledge of members,
executed the first leg of our annual match, with second leg on August 29 and looking
forward to a successful awards night.

We have at least reconstructed the once collapsing walls of the Club House at
Dansoman, with over 1000 pavement blocks to be used for designing the compound at
the Club House, which is now far better than it was four years before.

All things being equal, the Association will by the close of September signed a
three contract with a corporate body that will see to the organisation of the event
at least by close of May every year and not in the last quarter of the year as it
happens sometimes.

Our house is in indeed in order, what about Great Olympics (the darling club of my
late father) an institution in which he proudly represented on radio stations and
speaks for them with passion. They are seriously preparing for the division one
league instead of premiership, and one wonders when they are returning to the
premiership after the proposed 20-club league failed.

If he thinks sourcing for sponsorship is an easy deal, he should make an attempt to
do same for his darling club and he will come to terms with the dynamics involved
embarking on such a venture.

I wonder how many companies he will be able to convince to sponsor Great Olympics.
On the other hand, SWAG is prepared to grant him the right to source sponsorship for
the Association to see if he could do any better.

The Association accepts with great honour his criticisms but they were not in-depth
enough and lacked the foundation for comparative analysis, because we are dealing
with two different scenarios.

I cross my fingers for a response.



William Ezah
Acting General Secretary
SWAG