Solutions are needed to boost stadium attendances

ZIMBABWEAN football has seen a worrying trend this season of late, as topflight football teams — big or small — have been playing their league games in virtually empty stadiums.

Football, as we know it, is the biggest and most followed sport code in the country. As a result, the domestic Premiership has also enjoyed a fair share of following.

That is why Rufaro stadium, for instance, with an estimated sitting capacity of 35 000, would be filled to the brim at the peak of the Castle Lager Premiership.

Spectators always looked forward to spending part of their weekend at the football stadium.

Domestic football giants Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United, who form the traditional Big Three, have always enjoyed the greatest support and have always provided the benchmark for PSL as a popular brand.

Even the teams from outside Harare and Bulawayo commanded loyal following from their communities and they always enjoyed the “home advantage”.

Historically, any match in the league featuring the two giants would guarantee a huge pay cheque for the home team because of the expected revenue from the gates.

But a new trend has emerged. Spectators are no longer interested in coming to the football matches. The actual reason for this worrying development? The jury is still out.

There were less than 3 000 fans when Dynamos hosted traditional football rivals Highlanders in the Battle of Zimbabwe at the National Sports Stadium.

This must have been the lowest attendance ever in the history of this supposed “blockbuster” fixture.

Normally, this is the league’s showcase fixture, which brings together its two biggest and most successful clubs into direct confrontation.

It’s usually a fixture that the majority of Zimbabweans look forward to when it comes to the domestic Premiership. While the reverse fixture in Bulawayo attracted a reasonable crowd, with an estimated 15 000 fans turning up for the contest, the match in the capital was largely ignored by the football fans.

It didn’t help that the Glamour Boys went into that match when they had already been eliminated from the league title race which, for the fourth time on the bounce, has been won by FC Platinum.

The low attendances at the National Sports Stadium last week helped bring to the fore the huge challenges that the game is facing.

The other smaller teams have suffered worse in terms of low attendances, moreso as our clubs depend largely on gate revenue to finance their activities.

The lack of revenue from the turnstiles would mean that clubs are incurring huge losses, just to fulfil fixtures. They would also struggle to pay players and staff, to hire the ground and pay service providers on match days, apart from the other fixed expenses.

There is a danger some clubs will eventually collapse.

But what exactly could be the root cause of these low attendances in Zimbabwe? What is happening to the “world’s most beautiful game?”

It is a fact Zimbabwean football has been in decline for the last few years. Poor management has contributed largely to the decline.

Maybe it is time for a renewal of leadership from ZIFA to the Premier Soccer League. The corruption and mismanagement of the, which resulted in the interventions by the Sports and Recreation Commission and the subsequent suspension by FIFA, cannot be ignored.

The game needs fresh minds. We are happy the Sports and Recreation Commission, as the national regulator, have committed themselves to sort out the mess.

It’s sad the domestic football brand is no longer attractive. Potential sponsors have been shunning the game for years now. That on its own is a sign the game needs fresh business minds.

Of course Covid-19 came and left a trail of destruction. It has been argued that a lot of workers lost their jobs and, instead of putting football and recreation first, many people are prioritising bread and butter issues.

But how come, in South Africa 93 000 fans are paying to watch the Soweto Derby when Dynamos and Highlanders are struggling to attract 3 000?

ZIFA and PSL need to rebrand and attract fresh investments.

With more investment, the local game will be able to attract talent. Losing some of our best talents to regional countries like Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa would be a thing of the past.

The other important aspect that needs to be attended to is the quality of the product the PSL is offering.

Many people are in agreement that the falling standards of football is one of the major reasons local football supporters have abandoned the tradition of filling up the stadia, even for big games like the Battle of Zimbabwe.

The general feeling out there is spectators are not getting value for money. They would not miss anything even when they decide to stay home where they have better things to occupy themselves with.

Some have since migrated to English Premiership football.

But EPL is not a new phenomenon. It has always been there and people have been supporting their teams in England from long back.

So what EPL could be doing is that it is offering far better in terms of entertainment. The local game has lost its finesse and flair because of the decline in standards.

The onus is now on the local clubs to plan for and start developing good quality players. It’s sad though, that junior development is not being taken seriously.

It is time the authorities and ZIFA and PSL put their house in order. There is a need for an all-stakeholders meeting. They must also involve the supporters, who are always neglected and are not consulted on issues to do with our football when they are such an important constituency.

Zimbabwean football could continue to struggle if the fundamentals are not addressed.