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Can Mr. Rachier resurrect Gor Mahia ? |
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For those who do not know yet, Ambrose Rachier was recently elected as the chairman of Gor Mahia football club with such little funfair that hardly anyone noticed. Gone are the days when the club elections were highly charged affairs. One need only harken back to the late eighties when Douglas Oyieng Odolla was elected chairman in a tense and closely contested election amid charges of rigging by his opponent Luke Misiga. That election was reported widely in all the national newspapers and the voter turnout at Nyayo stadium was impressive. The fact that this year's election went unnoticed by the general public is symptomatic of how far downwards the once mighty club has fallen. None of the major newspapers even bothered to write about it. All this begs the question: Can Mr. Rachier who is aptly named resurrect the club from its moribund status ? Mr. Rachier comes with impressive credentials. He is a top notch lawyer well known in Kenyan legal circles. In his home constituency of Gem, he has initiated several development projects. He has been described as a forward thinking visionary who can get it done with little help. On the surface he seems like the right candidate for this arduous job. The primary reason that community clubs have faltered is the lack of visionary leaders who are capable of adapting to today's realities. Most such leaders generally lack ideas. The only thing they know how to do is take out their begging hat and beg politicians for money. Others are simply interested in using such clubs to catapult their political careers.
Perhaps the biggest mistake such officials make is their inability to reach out to the club's fan base to keep them interested in the club, interested in attending matches and willing to support the club financially. Several fans have reached out to club officials in the past and told them that fans at home and overseas would be willing to support the club financially by contributing monthly or yearly subscriptions. The key here is that club officials must be willing to publish audited accounts so that fans are assured that their hard earned money is not ending up in an officials bank account. In addition, the club would have to create a long term plan to show potential donors what they plan to do with the funds. Past club officials have shown total disinterest. Some simply did not want to account for the money. Others like the immediate officials simply had an antagonistic attitude against fans and fought tooth and nail to keep fans away from club affairs. These officials clearly did not understand that 1st rule of public relations which is that fans are more likely to be interested , to attend matches, buy club merchandize or even become subscribing members if they feel engaged in the day running of the club. This is not to say that fans on the terraces should make decisions. But an astute club chairman will keep fans interested through frequent press releases and press conferences that inform the public and the fans on the day to day activities of the club and answers questions and by making himself accountable for the club's performance.
Merchandize sales is another way for clubs to make money. Fans will gladly buy T-shirts, pens, scarves, caps and other items emblazoned with their favourite clubs name and symbol. Rarely do Kenyan clubs in any sport engage in merchandizing. Excellent public relations and accountability might even attract potential sponsors. Sponsors like to be associated with well run institutions that have public goodwill. The second most colossal mistake that club officials have made is their inability to reach out and create new fans. As a result, the fan base has been dwindling. In the past, most fans developed an affinity to the club during their youth. By the time they were 7 or 8 years old, they were already indoctrinated into becoming fans. As a result of being indoctrinated at such a young age, they grew up to become staunch, lifelong die-hard fans. The age of between 6 and 14 are the best times to reach out to children and turn them into lifelong fans. If you do not reach them by the time they hit their mid teens then the best you can hope for is that they will become fair weather fans who show interest only when the club is soing well. A club can reach out to children by allowing them when accompanied by adults to attend league matches free. By visiting schools and giving them free merchandize, and by allowing them to interact with the club's famous players.
Even adult fans should be incentivized into taking an interest in the club or attending ,matches. A well run club that has a streak of positive news appearing in the newspapers and one that keeps the public informed will accomplish this goal. And herein lies the tallest order that Mr. Rachier faces: The primary reason fans have turned away from local football is the sheer incompetence and constant bickering that sports officials in Kenya engage in. It is a tall order for Mr. Rachier to win these fans over. But if he does, he could become known as the man who revolutionized the way sports was managed in Kenya. This blogger would hate to be writing on this blog two years from now discussing Mr. Rachier's failure to be any better than the long list of incompetent, idea-less club officials who have presided over the slow demise of Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards, Re-Union, Shabana, Coast stars and other self supporting clubs.
Finally Mr. Rachier could leave a lasting legacy at the club. he could do this in two ways. First by putting the club on a firm financial footing so that it no longer has to depend on handouts from politicians. Egyptian clubs such as Zamalek have used yearly subscriptions from members to purchase assets that help sustain the club financially. Secondly, by installing a progressive constitution that will govern the way the club is run in the future. The club could become the first institution in Kenya to have such a constitution, one that will ensure that club officials are held accountable for their performance and one that ensures that club officials have to meet measured targets. Every institution in Kenya has failed miserably or not even tried to install a progressive 21st century constitution. Mr. Rachier has an opportunity to be the first to do this. Gor Mahia fans are sitting back and hoping with bated breath that Ambrose Rachier has the good will, the brains, the vision and the work ethic to resurrect the club. And with a name like Rachier, he should be able to do so. Over to you Ambrose.
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