Kamuzu Stadium closure hits Sulom, clubs hard
Super League of Malawi (Sulom) is expecting a 50 percent drop in gate revenue following the closure of Kamuzu Stadium.
Last season Super League gate collections revenue hit a record K420 579 639 with Super League clubs sharing K158 million.
Out of the K420 579 639 collected, K232 765 085 was from matches played at Kamuzu Stadium, representing 55 percent of the total.
This season, however, Sulom has estimated a drop of about 50 percent in the revenue.
A match between Nyasa Big Bullets vs Civo United played at Kamuzu Stadium grossed K4.875 million, but this time around it has fetched K2.905 million played at Kalulu Stadium.”
Sulom treasurer Tiya Somba-Banda said: “This drop in revenue will hugely affect both the teams and Sulom, as for instance, playing at Kalulu or Balaka we incur additional costs in terms of transport for the referees and administration.”
With the stadium closed, Sulom is also spending more on administration as it has to ferry referees from Blantyre to alternative venues such as Balaka Stadium, Kalulu Stadium and newly-opened Mulanje Park.
The drop in revenue has had a domino effect on Super League clubs who apart from sponsors, their other source of revenue is from gate collections.
Bullets and Be Forward Wanderers used to generate at least K1.5 million each every week when playing at Kamuzu Stadium. However, with their matches played at small capacity stadiums such as Balaka and Kalulu, the teams are taking home K500 000 each every week on average while spending more on travel costs.
Bullets chairperson Noel Lipipa, whose club has already exhausted their K100 million annual sponsorship said they are bracing up for a tough season. Bullets sponsors, Nyasa Manufacturing Limited (NMC) director Konrad Buckle has since advised the club to embrace commercialisation in the wake of Kamuzu Stadium closure.
“Bullets can no longer rely on gate collections following the closure of the Kamuzu Stadium. It is high time the club accepted the reality and embraced commercialisation,” he said.
Bullets is today holding an extra-ordinary meeting (EGM) to find a solution. Wanderers are also in the same boat as they no longer get what they used to when playing at Kamuzu Stadium.
The Nomads vice-chairperson Gift Mkandawire questioned why up to now the Kamuzu Stadium is still closed after government promised to re-open the facility within a month.
“Playing away is denying us revenue which we used to enjoy at Kamuzu Stadium.” he said.
