Empty seats haunt league

 The TNM Super League is back and so are empty seats during matches, a development analysts have blamed on football administrators’ failure to make the game attractive to the new generation.

After fetching about K36 million in the first week’s eight matches, gate revenue has dropped to about K28 million in the third week.

During the league’s opening match between Silver Strikers and FCB Nyasa Bullets, revenue totalled K20 585 830 while the match between Mighty Mukuru Wanderers and Civil Service at Kamuzu Stadium grossed K8 966 100.

But this is way below last season’s revenue when the match between Silver and Bullets at Silver Stadium grossed about K25 million while the Wanderers and Civo game at Kamuzu Stadium made K15 million.

The other six matches in the the first week made less than K700 000 each. Moyale and Karonga United at Mzuzu Stadium grossed K680 900, Mighty Tigers and Extreme at Mpira Stadium (K563 000); Mafco and Chitipa United at Chitowe Stadium (K118 750); Blue Eagles and Red Lions at Nankhaka (K370 000); Ekwendeni Hammers and Kamuzu Barracks at Mzuzu Stadium (K134 4000) grossed not more than K700 000.

In other words, with open stands tickets at K2 000, the patronage at these matches was less than.

In week two, Karonga United and Chitipa United at Karonga Stadium grossed K3 213 600; Bangwe All Stars and Mighty Tigers at Mpira Stadium (K2 301 050); Civo and Extreme at Civo Stadium (K631 600); Ekwendeni Hammers and Moyale at Mzuzu Stadium (K645 000).

Whereas the matches between Red Lions and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers at Balaka Stadium grossed K7 467 000 Blue Eagles and Silver at Nankhaka made K4 590 100; Bullets and Mafco at Kamuzu Stadium grossed K14 146 480.

This also shows a drop in revenue in matches of crowd-pullers Bullets, Silver and Wanderers.

It was the same in week three as matches between Bullets and Extreme at Civo Stadium (K11 762 200), Wanderers and Ekwendeni Hammers at Kamuzu Stadium (K8 150 750) fetched less than what the Blantyre giants fetched in the first two weeks.

Matches between Chitipa United and Dedza Dynamos at Karonga (K1 473 400); Bangwe All Stars and Blue Eagles at Mulanje Park (K1 697 000); Silver and Red Lions at Bingu National Stadium (K5 025 720) fetched over K1 million.

But Mafco against Karonga United at Chitowe (K240 050), Kamuzu Barracks and Moyale Barracks at Civo Stadium (K93 950), Mighty Tigers and Civo at Mpira Stadium (K675 200) grossed less that K700 000.

Super League of Malawi (Sulom) general secretary Williams Banda admitted that low patronage is a challenge but that there are several factors that affected the revenue such as the Fifa+ live streaming platform.

However, analysts have warned that as long as football administrators fail to bring in other elements of entertainment, football will keep on losing fans.

Soccer analyst Patrick Zgambo observed that the standards of the game have contributed to the poor patronage.

He said: “Overall, I think exposure to top leagues especially English Premiership through television, has exposed Malawians to high expectations in terms of standards of football and they are not impressed when they watch the local match.

“A local football fan will still hold his allegiance to their local club, but he is more invested in the EPL because it is a better product and that’s what is more interesting.

“The EPL has become a monster and has not only hurt the local game, but even European leagues like La Liga, Bundesliga are unable to compete as it has dominated interest of the global football.”

Zgambo said football officials need to find means of addressing the situation to bring back the crowds.

He sa id: “Malawi football must find a sustainable solution because the crowds will not return at a flip of a switch. They have to creatively stimulate interest of young people to get to the stadium. The older geriatrics who believed in a stadium atmosphere for a good old fashioned derby are dying off. Someone has to replace them in the stadia.”

On his part, Kelvin Moyo said low patronage is also related to the generals etup at matches.

He said: “Football should acknowledge that as an industry, competition in terms of entertainment is now high. Other entertaining industries such as live music, have raised the bar in offering far much better ser vices than football.”

Moyo explained that football administrators should eat humble pie and adapt to the present situation.

The anal yst sa i d : “Football has taken things for granted for so long. You should observe the crowd that is outside the stadium where booze, food etc is sold.

“That is the part of entertainment that we are missing within the confines of the stadium. Let’s regulate some of these things and create an entertaining environment for our fans.”

Moyo said football has also failed to provide entertainment suited for the millennials.

He said: “What the older generation used to like cannot be equated to the present generation. Football has failed to look at the needs of the present younger g e n e r a t i o n . T h e r e is need to offer a fan zone to the fans at our football grounds suited for millennials. A part from a match that will be played at 14.30, there is no entertainment at the venue, the atmosphere is very boring.”