Stadium usage  to cost more

Ministry of Youth and Sports has revised conditions for hiring government stadiums which will see clubs paying for match organisation costs such as maintenance, utility bills and staff allowances.

The revised regulations, which the ministry says will ensure effective management of the facilities, apply to Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe and Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre, which are under the ministry. It also extends to Civo Stadium in Lilongwe, which is under the Office of the President and Cabinet, as well as Kasungu, Rumphi, Mulanje, Dedza, Karonga and Mzuzu stadiums which are under local councils.

According to the new regulations,  costs for cleaning materials, workers’ allowances and utility bills (water and electricity), which were initially the responsibility of the stadium owners, will now be included in match costs to be paid from gate revenue.

Clubs will also be required to purchase water, electricity, cleaning materials and pay all other expenses a week before the match.

The revised regulations read in part: “Conditions set in this document are applicable to all users whether local or international with effect from April 6 2024.”

Stadium owners will also be conducting asset registry to confirm the condition of the facilities before handover to clubs.

Any damages caused during the match shall be the responsibility of the clubs and they will be required to repair them within seven days.

After the match, clubs will also be responsible for cleaning of the stadium to restore its condition.

The ministry’s spokesperson Macmillan Mwale justified the revision of the regulations in an interview.

He said: “The issue of stadium maintenance has been a long-standing  one. We have been discussing this issue back and forth. Most of the facilities are in bad shape because they are over-used without proper maintenance.

“Last season, Mzuzu and Civo stadiums were closed because of the same reasons. Stadiums are vandalised during matches and the burden of maintenance is placed on the stadium owners. As a ministry, we decided to revise the regulations to ensure stadium owners are not short changed.”

Mwale said most matches fetch litle in terms of gate revenue which leaves stadium owners without funds to maintain the venues.

“For example, it’s only a few matches involving big teams such as FCB Nyasa Bullets, Silver Strikers and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers that generate substantial revenue whereas the others are poorly patronised.

“But stadium owners still have to maintain these stadiums as well as pay for cleaning materials, workers’ allowances, water and electricity bills. What we want is for match organisers to ensure they pay for these costs before the match.”

He also justified the revised regulation that says stadium workers allowances will now be paid from the gate revenue.

He said: “All persons working during the match such as police, stewards, paramedics are paid from the gate revenue, why should stadium workers who are providing the same services not be paid from the same?”

The revised rules also set a hiring fee for non-paying games at K2 million for Super League matches, K1 million for lower league matches and K300 000 for social football matches.

“Going forward, we will also set a standard hiring fee for  paying matches as well because relying on gate revenue results in stadium owners making huge losses during poorly patronised matches where the gate levy can barely meet the costs of hosting a match,” he said.

Mwale said the arrangement will extend to others who use the stadiums for different activities such as religious gatherings and music shows.

But clubs have protested the new set-up, saying the ministry should have engaged Super League of Malawi (Sulom) and Football Association of Malawi (FAM) before implementating the revised rules.

In a joint letter, Blantyre-based Super League clubs Bullets, Wanderers, Mighty Waka Waka Tigers and Bangwe All Stars and Southern Region Football Association’s Thumbs Up Premier Division side Ntopwa FC, who use Kamuzu Stadium, have challenged the revised regulations.

The letter reads in part: “We take cognisance of the fact that the Ministry of Sports is the owner of the facilities that we use for all our games.

“However, going through the conditions as indicated by yourselves, we make the following observations, particularly under Article 6, that the section has introduced a deduction of costs of cleaning materials, payment of workers’  allowances and settling of utility bills with deductions made from the revenue generated.

“We opine that this borders on the policy matters which are controlled by FAM and Sulom as regulators of football competitions in Malawi.

“We, therefore, advise your management to engage our regulators for proper direction before any implementation of the same.”

The clubs also argued that deducting allowances for stadium workers from the revenue collected puts the responsibility of managing a government facility on them.

They have further faulted government for introducing the changes mid-season, arguing that such changes should have been communicated prior to the start of the season.

“In view of the above, we suggest that the policy holders should be engaged before implementation of these conditions and that these should apply to all stakeholders that use the stadium, including social football teams and individuals that use the stadium for their own physical exercises.

“By copy of this letter to Sports Council, FAM and Sulom, we seek to direct you to a proper channel that should have been followed to ensure implementation of the changes that you would like to introduce,” the letter further reads.

Bullets chief administration officer Albert Chigoga, who is one of the signatories of the letter, confirmed that they are seeking redress on the matter.

Meanwhile, Mwale yesterday said the ministry will respond to the clubs’ letter.