ST Smart, ST Shrewd

Sh*t is not tight! In essence, enough is no longer enough to brave it. Let us wish a pleasant voyage for our current national soccer team on its way to the dungeon. With this, we should switch our attention to devising a plan B where we should create a completely new national soccer team in the next six years. I reaffirm. Other than wasting efforts, time and money on the spent force, we should in its place astutely commit adequate resources to a creation of a new functional force. We need to have in place a comprehensive plan specifically pegged onto creating a national soccer squad to feature as a senior team in the six years’ time. If we put together great talents at the genuine age of 15 we will be able to have a great team of talents at the age of 21 in the planned time. Universally, clubs’ soccer academies significantly play a role in building a national team indirectly. This is not done here in Rwanda, and never will that happen in a near future due to the clubs’ lack of vision, understanding and unclear mindset. Speaking to the sports minister Joseph Habineza, he is of the same mind that our soccer clubs are playing the concept on wrong footing. He should therefore be more practical in pursuit of saving our deteriorating image in the world of soccer through taking an extra mile in his mandate. Additionally, the sports ministry should sort out the clubs’ mess through a component of capacity building and changing their mindset towards an acceptable way of running football. We should have football clubs running like business power houses to add value and fetch in competitiveness. Clubs can potentially be sold as strong brands. The only major problem is that those running these clubs are living in the conservative world. Waking up and smelling the coffee should be pushed into their heads by the sports ministry. Let the ministry invest in sourcing and paying consultants who would develop strategies and plans, and also train club owners and staff on how to run their clubs like business firms. Clubs should be carrying out their individual efforts to secure sponsorships from various corporate companies. They should be able to package and sell themselves with intelligent and endearing approaches. The minister says that we have in Rwanda a situation of “Chicken and egg – what came first”. What he tries to say is that our corporate companies claim that there should first be quality in the game, and the minister responds that there should first be money to have quality. Yes, this might be the situation but we can overcome it with well calculated strategies in the approach to the private sector to be part of our football. If everything is well documented and planned, companies will most definitely fall over themselves to throw their weight behind you. In your strategy you should study their reach-out programmes, form of products, advertising and corporate social responsibility budgets, and priorities in terms of business expansion. As such you will be able to speak a similar language with them in terms of business growth. It is very important to outline the mileage and benefits the sponsor will derive from his commitment. The clubs should enter partnerships with various international manufacturers or marketing firms to sell replicas and other branded products as a way of generating revenues as well as strengthening the brand. Branding can go beyond producing T-shirts to mugs, bowls, and all the way to thongs. With creativity you can have a strong brand, and everybody on market will want to associate with you. Soccer clubs can potentially provide employment to many people in professional areas of technical, sales and marketing, publication, events management, product and business development, finance, and many others. Let’s close on businesses before the close of play. ensekanabo@gmail.com