From the sidelines

THE Newspaper Cup is around the corner again and this time it goes to Walvis Bay. But with every competition this country, there are always hiccups, and The Namibian Newspaper Cup is no exception.

On the positive side, the competition this year received its biggest share from the coffers of The Namibian, which is sponsoring it for the sixth year. To be going strong for six years is a milestone for the tournament, which has exposed many young players to top football in the country.Despite these positive developments, there are problems that are either experienced before, during or after the tournament.Just the other day, I learnt that the Omaheke Regional Team has been playing with the same football kit for the past four years and was therefore appealing for sponsorships to help them acquire new attire for this year’s competition.The most worrying aspect is that the jerseys that they have been using all these years are not their own, but belong to another team at the town.Omaheke has won the tournament twice, in 2001 at the Windhoek Independence Stadium and again the following year at the Mokati Stadium in Otjiwarongo.In the 2002 competition, they pocketed N$10 000 for winning the event.Did no one think of buying the side new clothes at the time? It is embarrassing for two-time champions of the competition to go out with the same gear each year.The officials of the team should have thought better and they can blame themselves for poor planning.Now, the Omaheke Regional team officials are appealing to companies to sponsor it – be it financial or material – for this year’s tournament, but they claim that the ones with the money are not forthcoming.Some of the officials claim it is a question of race at Gobabis for companies not to support the regional team.The companies will, of course, ask themselves what benefits they will get out of a sponsorship.For a team that is involved in this competition only once a year, there is no reason for companies not to get involved in sponsoring their regional teams.This not only goes for the companies of the Cattle Country, but to all the big and small companies that are based in towns of these regional teams.It is true that it is at the discretion of a company to decide on sponsoring or not, but as a social responsibility, it will be ideal for companies to do that because they score mostly through the publicity they derive from it.In fact, there is a general trend among some companies who do not want to be associated with football, because they see it as a black-dominated sport.Wrong.This sport has made this country proud on several fronts in the past and it is also a code that pulls crowds to witness the action.A simple fact is with crowds coming to the matches, and with your brand name displayed on the shirts of the team, the more publicity you get and that automatically means that business will be there.Some companies at a town like Gobabis have a conservative and really narrow approach to some of these realities of the business world, and it is only a pity that the regional team has to suffer as a result.In fact, it would only be natural if several companies in any region could take pride in the team and pool their resources together and ensure the teams are well taken care of in a bid to produce the desired results.Some teams like Erongo are lucky to get all they need for the tournament, because of big businesses at the harbour town.Although The Namibian pays for the transport, accommodation and meals of the players, it will not be too much to ask from other companies to at least contribute with other basic needs such as jerseys, boots or even tracksuits for uniformity.The tournament will be held over the Easter weekend and companies still have time to make any contributions to these teams that are in need.The players feel more motivated and tend to perform when if there is something in it for them.But officials and players should also guard against the abuse or misuse of whatever the companies plan to give.In case of material support, it will be a different issue, but money needs to be spent wisely.To be going strong for six years is a milestone for the tournament, which has exposed many young players to top football in the country.Despite these positive developments, there are problems that are either experienced before, during or after the tournament.Just the other day, I learnt that the Omaheke Regional Team has been playing with the same football kit for the past four years and was therefore appealing for sponsorships to help them acquire new attire for this year’s competition.The most worrying aspect is that the jerseys that they have been using all these years are not their own, but belong to another team at the town.Omaheke has won the tournament twice, in 2001 at the Windhoek Independence Stadium and again the following year at the Mokati Stadium in Otjiwarongo.In the 2002 competition, they pocketed N$10 000 for winning the event.Did no one think of buying the side new clothes at the time? It is embarrassing for two-time champions of the competition to go out with the same gear each year.The officials of the team should have thought better and they can blame themselves for poor planning.Now, the Omaheke Regional team officials are appealing to companies to sponsor it – be it financial or material – for this year’s tournament, but they claim that the ones with the money are not forthcoming.Some of the officials claim it is a question of race at Gobabis for companies not to support the regional team.The companies will, of course, ask themselves what benefits they will get out of a sponsorship.For a team that is involved in this competition only once a year, there is no reason for companies not to get involved in sponsoring their regional teams.This not only goes for the companies of the Cattle Country, but to all the big and small companies that are based in towns of these regional teams.It is true that it is at the discretion of a company to decide on sponsoring or not, but as a social responsibility, it will be ideal for companies to do that because they score mostly through the publicity they derive from it.In fact, there is a general trend among some companies who do not want to be associated with football, because they see it as a black-dominated sport.Wrong.This sport has made this country proud on several fronts in the past and it is also a code that pulls crowds to witness the action.A simple fact is with crowds coming to the matches, and with your brand name displayed on the shirts of the team, the more publicity you get and that automatically means that business will be there.Some companies at a town like Gobabis have a conservative and really narrow approach to some of these realities of the business world, and it is only a pity that the regional team has to suffer as a result.In fact, it would only be natural if several companies in any region could take pride in the team and pool their resources together and ensure the teams are well taken care of in a bid to produce the desired results.Some teams like Erongo are lucky to get all they need for the tournament, because of big businesses at the harbour town.Although The Namibian pays for the transport, accommodation and meals of the players, it will not be too much to ask from other companies to at least contribute with other basic needs such as jerseys, boots or even tracksuits for uniformity.The tournament will be held over the Easter weekend and companies still have time to make any contributions to these teams that are in need.The players feel more motivated and tend to perform when if there is something in it for them.But officials and players should also guard against the abuse or misuse of whatever the companies plan to give.In case of material support, it will be a different issue, but money needs to be spent wisely.