Nigerian sports branding and marketing expert Tomiwa Lawal has stated that corporate sponsorship remains the ultimate solution to the heavy financial burdens weighing down domestic football clubs.
He believes strategic corporate partnerships have the power to instantly wipe out up to 80 percent of the operational challenges confronting privately owned teams.
As the current football season wraps up, the heated debate around how to make Nigerian clubs financially sustainable has once again taken center stage among industry stakeholders.
A prominent school of thought in the sports business world argues that clubs should not look at corporate sponsorship as their starting point.
Instead, they believe clubs and academies must first build recognizable brands and viable business models before chasing big corporate money.
However, Lawal strongly counters this view, maintaining that getting sponsors on board is the most immediate game-changer for teams struggling with daily costs.
“Sponsorship will eradicate 80 per cent of the financial burdens of most privately owned clubs in Nigeria,” he stated.
He pointed to newly promoted Nigeria Premier Football League side Ranchers Bees and their recent partnership with AA RANO Oil as a prime example of this working in reality.
“Look at Ranchers Bees that just signed a deal with AA RANO Oil. The issue of having no fuel to travel for away games is over,” Lawal said.
He emphasized that clubs should not just look for multi-million naira checks, as even small-scale partnerships can drastically cut down a team’s monthly overhead.
“Even if it’s just to have a water company logo at the back of your shorts and that company provides bottled water for the club, that is also part of sponsorship instead of relying solely on the purse of the owner,” he explained.
To highlight the harsh reality on the ground, Lawal revealed that a team scheduled to travel for the Nigeria National League playoffs tomorrow was currently stranded due to a lack of state funding.
“I know a particular club that is travelling for the playoffs tomorrow and the team is still stranded for funds because the governor, who is their sponsor, is not interested in sports,” he added.
Sports 247
