Sundaymail Editor
Arthur Choga
FOOTBALL’S off-season is really a misnomer.
Under normal circumstances, this is the period when people are supposed to be resting.
However, this is not usually the case, as clubs will be active in the transfer market.
The local football off-season is now close to its end.
Former Premiership champions Dynamos have been very active, engaging a new coach and re-engaging a new chief executive officer, as well as roping in a host of new players.
Champions FC Platinum have been posting about their pre-season training, while giants Highlanders have shown off some new signings. Fans are naturally excited.
A few weeks ago, ZIFA Northern Region Division One side MWOS FC sent out an email with an invitation to an event where they wanted to announce their new coach — Wonder Ngoko.
The email, which was sent out four days before the unveiling ceremony, was well-presented. There were clear contacts and the event was well-coordinated.
The branding was also on point.
After the event, the club sent out a press release to all their key media contacts.
In it, the coach appeared dressed in the MWOS kit, complete with a cap.
This sums up the good news.
We have also seen unveiling ceremonies that look like the player and the club just met up and called the first available passerby to take a picture — ripped jeans, the odd English Premier League club jersey in there . . . the list is endless.
Player presentations are a big deal.
The club has an opportunity to keep its brand visible and active, and hype the excitement among fans. Our clubs should make this memorable. A change of setting and a unique environment could also help.
The days of two guys with no identifiable links to the team shaking hands before blank backgrounds really needs to stop.
Kit launches and sales
Several clubs signed kit partnership deals last season, and the off-season provides an opportunity to showcase the kits for the 2023 season and start a marketing campaign for the sale of replica jerseys.
So far, nothing of the sort has happened.
It is understood that many clubs depend on benefactors who will walk into a sports shop and buy some kit that closely resembles their club’s colours and make a donation.
That is all well and good; however, it could be done earlier so the kit is branded and ready for the new season.
Replica kit sales are a billion-dollar business.
According to Statista.com, in 2021, Bayern Munich, the perennial German champions, sold 3,25 million replica units.
Real Madrid sold 3,05 million, Liverpool sold 2,45 million, Manchester United sold roughly 1,95 million jerseys and Juventus rounded off the top five with 1,42 million jerseys.
Football jerseys are a key income generator for clubs globally. As such, our clubs now need to get onto this bus or risk being left further behind.
Football jerseys have stopped being a sporting item. They are now a leading fashion accessory, and clubs and their technical partners are designing more and more kits that go along with jeans, cargo pants and other casual and even formal wear.
Corporate social engagements
Zimbabwe has a host of organisations and communities that are always looking for support in taking care of their clients or in helping individuals and groups to pull through tough situations.
Football players are well-known members of society, and engaging and involving them in corporate social investment events is a good way of raising awareness about these causes.
Imagine PSL players taking part in a clean-up at a local stadium.
This is their office and they will be showing love for their workplace.
Getting the players to speak to the community about the need to keep the area around the grounds clean and well-maintained may actually work better than getting an official dressed in a suit to make the same call.
These are just a few examples of what local clubs and their partners can do to keep brands alive and generate excitement ahead of the season.
There is clearly an opportunity that needs to be grasped and run with.
Clubs like Bulawayo Chiefs have done this with much success in the past.
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Online Reporter