SC Villa, Mandela should seize 17th title to galvanize fans contribution
That is SC Villa is the biggest football brand in Uganda and some parts of East Africa is undoubted. This was evident over the weekend when a sea of blue and white was in the packed stands at the MTN Omondi stadium, Lugogo when the club ended a 20-year wait to lift the 17th league […] The post SC Villa, Mandela should seize 17th title to galvanize fans contribution appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
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That is SC Villa is the biggest football brand in Uganda and some parts of East Africa is undoubted.
This was evident over the weekend when a sea of blue and white was in the packed stands at the MTN Omondi stadium, Lugogo when the club ended a 20-year wait to lift the 17th league title.
From the aged to the young, fans sang their hearts out and also even those not among the over 7000 at Lugogo roared on social media to show case for their beloved club – the Jogoos.
Now, the management led by Hajji Omar Mandela ought to use this moment to have the fans as part of the club through registration for membership through the Villa Members Trust.
This wont only take the big burden off Mandela and his executive members but also contribute to the sustainability of the team even when the big man opts to leave.
Former club President Ben Immanuel Misagga once described the Villa fans as the most complacent but have they ever been given chance to be part of the proceedings at the club? Not sure because the big man syndrome by the leadership somehow sends them away.
From Patrick Kawooya through Franco Mugabe, Fred Muwema, Misagga and now Mandela, everything around the club evolves around the big man and a few members of the executive leaving the most important person out, the fan.
It explains why the club always goes back to financial incapacities when the big man loses interests or leaves.
The longevity between the 16th and 17th title should then act as a lesson and be used as a stepping stone to involve the fans since they never go away.
First, the executive led by Mandela should fully support the VMT as an entrance for the fans to be part and parcel of the club besides buying match day tickets.
There must be a deliberate effort by the club to register all its members annually (every season) at a fee – Ug Shs. 50,000 for the ordinary fans as it is at the moment and then also have the Congress Members as well part with a specified amount as per the structure of the original VMT process.
This shouldn’t be in words but action with the secretariat fully funded to execute this both online and physical at Villa fans branches which are still active in all areas from Owino to Makerere to Villa Park to Jinja and Masaka to Mbale and Tororo and country wide.
Villa fans are some of the most loyal in Uganda but just need a little push and assurance that they are part of the club.
Can you imagine that for this entire campaign, the club didn’t have replicas to sell to the fans yet some of their matches were the most attended? There must be a deliberate policy by the club to have official club merchandise sold to the fans as this is another source of funds to the team.
And with registration that captures all individual details, it is even easier to plan for the quantity of merchandise to have around club shops in different locations of the country.
Imagine if Villa, say for the 2024/25 registered 20,000 fans at 50,000 Ug. Shs, that is a 100,000,000 (One Hundred Million Shs), and then gets another 100 fans register to be part of the Congress at just One Million Shs, that’s is another 100,000,000 Ugx plus contribution of a specified amount for each member of the ExCom. That is a good base to start the season on.
And imagine if these members buy a club replica at 50,000 Ug Shs.
With these numbers available, the club can also use them as a bargaining tool for sponsorship as well.
Villa should seize the moment and avoid going into the cycle of the old bad days when Mandela and Mugabe left before Muwema and Misagga steadied the ship.
Express are currently suffering because their chairperson Kiryowa Kiwanuka lost time and or interest but they are champions of three years ago.
Like Misagga said in an article in the Daily Monitor on March 16, 2023, the more an individual funds the club alone, the further it slips away from the fan and becomes a personal ongoing concern. VMT and the Congress is the strongest strategic approach to keep Villa strong and alive for generations.
The post SC Villa, Mandela should seize 17th title to galvanize fans contribution appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
