Media And Football

THE recent outstanding performance by Eleven Arrows striker Rudolf Bester (according to media reports) cannot go unnoticed.

Bester’s name is becoming so popular, which reminds me of former Brave Warriors striker Eliphas Shivute, who was such a dangerous thorn to any defence during his prime. Unlike Shivute, Bester has come at a time that the game of football is run on business principles. He has the potential to become a world-class player if the administrators can pick up on the current mood of the fans and the hype that is being created by the media around his performance. Is it not time that his team capitalises on the player’s popularity by making him even more popular by producing merchandise with his name and photo to sell to the fans? Who would not want to be associated with a top performer? Why is it that teams don’t distribute information about their players at their games? Why are players not utilised to create hype when their teams are playing? This would then provide an opportunity to bring to the fore other players that are in these teams, because if it were not for outstanding team mates, high-profile players would not be performing as they are. Players are the window of the a team and if their image and status could be utilised to perform community service, this will endear these players to the fans and together with their colleagues they can contribute to social development. Through social activities, these players give the media material to write about – this helps in ensuring that the game of football continues to provide positive information to the fans. Social activities by players lead to communities feeling a sense of ownership, which leads to them supporting the team, which increases the team’s income and later on players get paid better. A lot of youngsters would want to join a team that shows social responsibility, it is therefore important that the players in this country, be treated like royalty in the same line as Ronaldo (Manchester United, England), Thierry Henry (Barcelona, Spain) or even Didier Drogba (Chelsea, England). Are we waiting for somebody to come and create our stars? Then we can continue dreaming. Currently, the Namibian media are doing a lot of progressive work to highlight the performance of the teams and the players, but what are the administrators doing to assist in this process? How many administrators in the NPL have issued even one press release since the beginning of the season to highlight the activities of the league and what will be in the offing for the rest of the season? Apart from announcements, match previews and reviews published in the newspapers, how come we do not have flyers with players’ names at the games or even posters and banners on the key matches that are coming up? How many clubs have gone out of their way to solicit support from the communities they claim are their supporters? How many clubs have appointed media officers within their structure to publicise the development within the clubs? With the season almost halfway through, I have not seen anything that would encourage somebody who is not a soccer fan to go and watch the games. The teams also need to educate their supporters and keep them in the loop on the developments around the teams. They need to wake up. There is a need for creativity if our game is going to move towards professionalism and to provide entertainment for the fans. * Mathew T Haikali is a FUTURO III regional instructor in Administration and Management in Football.