Great players need a great backroom
PLAYERS are the most recognisable and valuable asset of any football club, and rightly so.
They spend countless hours training, go out onto the pitch and entertain hordes of spectators who will have parted with their hardearned cash, all for the pleasure of watching the world’s most beautiful game.
Depending on the competition, the winning team either gets points or qualifies for the next round of the tournament.
Football has evolved from people playing for fun into a business that is fun for the fans.
Thus, the backroom has become the engine room of the enterprise, which needs to be run as a corporate to ensure on-field success.
Football can no longer thrive on the “zvichaita zvega” (things will work themselves out) philosophy.
In 2003, I joined CAPS United as administration manager, and the team went on to lose the next five games. Whether I had a role in that or not, I will never know. Fewdays Musonda was the coach.
He left after the team’s sixth straight loss, which came after a defeat to Kambuzuma United at Gwanzura Stadium.
Twine Phiri was the owner of the club then. Sitting in the stands and watching that match until half-time was Charles Mhlauri, who had just returned from a training stint in Germany, where he had acquired the DFB (German Football Association) A Licence and a diploma in sports science.
As fate would have it, he joined the team at the end of the season, which heralded a phenomenal season in 2004.
The team had great players, unparalleled support from the fans and a determination to succeed, fuelled by the tragic loss of their teammates in a car crash early in that season.
What made the campaign a success was the level of backroom support this team had, from the Euroclub Service sponsorship, a kit deal with Belgian sportswear manufacturer Jartazi and the strict training regimen at the National Sports Stadium.
The team took out a lease on the stadium and used the facility for training and home matches.
They even made use of some of the kitchen facilities at the Magamba Hockey Stadium for their lunches.
Mhlauri was a no-nonsense gaffer.
He was strict on players’ diet and insisted on training sessions running on time and as planned. Sessions were sometimes specifically planned per upcoming match, with key drills targeting opponents.
The management team featured renowned international banker Andy Hodges as chairperson; Bramwell Kamudyariwa, a former CEO at Zimpapers; and Ziyambi Ziyambi, who is now the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
It also comprised the late Willard Manyengavana, who would later play a leading role in reviving the Northern Region Division One league; and Jones Makuvire, a former marketing head at the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), who is credited with playing a key role in setting up the Annual National Sports Awards.
The best administrators are those who let players get on with their core business while they keep everything moving behind the scenes.
That team was able to ensure that players received their bonuses, either for winning or drawing, every match day.
Similarly, the great Highlanders team of the 1990s was anchored by the leadership of Ernest Sibanda and Kennedy Ndebele, who has become a key figure at the Premier Soccer League.
So, leadership at a football club is expected to make key decisions that help the team move forward.
When selecting leaders, a club should ensure that the candidates bring relevant skills and expertise.
These days, with the growth of brand promotion and the value associated with a good reputation and a clean name, each club should ensure it has sound marketing and public relations skills within its ranks.
The clubs that have taken the greatest care of their image have scored great success in their social and media engagements, leading to improved perception of their brand.
People like FC Platinum’s Chido Chizondo bring a level of corporate sensitivity and awareness to the club.
The way she has navigated football’s treacherous waters serves as an example of how to do it well.
Clubs backed by corporates have tended to second management resources from the parent company to the club, thereby creating strong leadership roles.
These need to be infused with sound footballing minds to create the right mix.
A corporate leadership with little football knowledge may want to transfer business performance measurement tools onto the field of play without due consideration of the realities of the game.
An organised backroom with key competencies in place and high levels of commitment and application always allows players to bring their best game to the fore.