Engaging Fans, Maximizing Recruitment, and Returns on Investments (ROI)
This project hopes to be all inclusive and the Principles are intended to serve the development needs of the richest clubs at the top, down to the individual non-descripts rotating occasionally into weekend recreational pick-up games… they too can grow into big clubs with the same familiar story.
Every club will at some time be desirous of attracting better players; even the recreation game organizers must carry out a level of social recruitment clearly to sustain some quality for its survival. The teams or countries that can develop and reproduce high performing players in appreciable numbers will have a great advantage for survival… Higher quality of individual and team performance is the common element for survival from inter-class games at elementary school, to the world cup groups of death….
As clubs develop and progress up the leagues, it will become necessary to make considerably more expenditure each season to prepare teams and honor the fixture. Some also have to commit to mandatory youth development programs and are often expected to eventually run youth soccer/football academies as a part of their growing enterprises. The boards must be cognizant that they are deploying resources that include the social and financial investment of their fans that deserve to get some ample satisfaction (high quality competitive games) in return for their loyalty, entry fees and travelling expenses.
Ask us who our favorite person of sporting valor is. He is soccer/football connoisseur Carlton ‘Spanner’ Dennis of Santos Football Club in Kingston, Jamaica. He epitomizes the best of the faithful die-hard fans travelling abroad with their team. Having remained just within the bounds of the law, Spanner stood up in the grand stand and displayed his pride and the principled willingness to give that pound of flesh, and donate blood to protect and defend the honor of team and country…standing alone to empty the grand stand at the QPO while abroad. I stand with Spanner and regret not having that experience as a fan and supporter. He later became a VP at the JFF.
Teams must find ways to publicly appreciate such loyal fans, but above all show gratitude to the faithful by continuing to improve. They ask for nothing special for their unwavering support; for those returns are best made in the form of a decent standard of good quality entertainment (i.e. real good displays of soccer/football) and that their teams make genuine effort to limit and score more goals than their rivals in each game.
It follows therefore, that clubs must invest in organization, structure and human component capacity building in order to ensure steady grow season after season, winning or losing to maintain marketability and justify their own existence…for the good of the game, the supporters, the fans and their sponsors’ good name.
Club leaders are in office to at least ensure the sound implementation of a strong, systemized development framework. This is achievable by using the Whisperer’s performance tools, supported by the critical principles in order to continually achieve a higher quality of sustainable product development each season. In so doing, they can guarantee a reasonable return on investment (ROI).
The business plan for soccer/football is never overwhelming to investors and most amateur and semi- professional clubs never really break-even. The inflows are dependent on the gate receipts, sponsorships, the transfer market ,and spin offs issuing from commercials. The expanding capacity of the leadership and business management team to support and drive steady coaching staff improvements and top flight player performances each season, is often the only way forward.
In considering investments, clubs should stay away from high interest yielding deposit schemes, and opt for permanent or very long-term partnerships with strong investors willing to go all the way. Forward here means joint ventures into the manufacturing and sales of the club’s paraphernalia, and special occasion souvenirs, to all the food franchising, security and viable add on commercial infrastructure, adjacent to existing or near-by their own acquired premises. Hopefully, with new economic growth taking place around the club, amateur players with the need to be employed in a semi-professional contract, can be sorted out.
*Notes from the 100 Principles etc.
