Stadiums offer a temporary escape from the economic grind for football fans but rising costs and dwindling revenues are threatening the clubs
Nigeria’s economic downturn casts a long shadow on the country and has driven up the prices of everything, from food to fuel and managing a football club.
But some fans of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), like Segun Adeboye, though grappling with the rising cost of living, are still intent on feeding their passion for their local football clubs.
Adeboye, an ardent 3SC of Ibadan (also called Shooting Stars) supporter, has seen it all at the Lekan Salami Stadium. He once lost a tooth in an altercation with security officials during a match of the Shooting Stars at the stadium in Adamasingba.
He has been mobbed by desperate ticket sellers on matchdays and sometimes it is a cause of irritation just to get a ticket amidst the argy-bargy.
Getting a cool beer is always a welcome respite, calming his nerves before the match. On the days when victory is secured, Adeboye floats home, oblivious to the hardships of the day, or even the next.
NPFL ritual
The Adamasingba Stadium offers a temporary escape from the grind of their daily economic struggles. As one passionate fan declared, “I would rather go without food and spend my hard-earned cash to buy a 3SC match ticket.”
When there are no NPFL home matches, the sprawling city seems to hold its breath. In Ibadan, NPFL league matches are no joke. Shooting Stars are more than just a football club; any untoward happenings or news about the club can spark an uprising.
And the Adamasingba Stadium is more than just a sports venue. It is a sanctuary for the fans.
The surroundings assume a carnival-like atmosphere on matchdays, with vehicles contributing to the cacophony of noise with their horns to announce the home team’s arrival at the stadium.
Shooting Stars are woven into the city’s fabric; their struggles resonate deeply. Despite harsh financial realities within the NPFL (evidenced by low ticket sales), fans fill the stadium to cheer for their beloved team. On the most recent matchday, 3SC secured a thrilling 2-0 victory.
Ripple effects
For Shehu Sani, a former senator from Kaduna Central District, it is his dream to return to stadiums to watch local matches.
“I wanted to develop a habit of visiting our stadiums to watch our local league matches, as we used to do in the 80s and 90s. The problem is that to enter the stadium and come out, one has to settle thugs.
“And one is also advised to remove all valuables in the car while setting it in the parking lot. Concentrating on watching these matches is difficult. I hope the NFF will do something about this,” Mr Sanni wrote on his verified Twitter account last year.
Clubs prioritise fans
Nigeria is facing dire economic challenges. Inflation is at its highest level in decades, the removal of subsidies on petrol has led to a huge increase in the prices of goods and services while unemployment and underemployment remain very high. All of these also affect the country’s football clubs who, however, have to make sacrifices to be able to keep the fans in the stadium.
In northern Nigeria, where attendance is traditionally high, clubs like Doma United FC of Gombe maintain their matchday gate fee at N100. Club official Mark Malele explains that they prioritise fan presence over profit.
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the club’s image maker said the Savannah Tigers are not raking in profits from gate takings.
“No, there hasn’t been any increase. Just the normal price. Where we have the popular side, spectators come in and pay a hundred naira and in the VIP stands, spectators pay two hundred naira, so there has been no increase because people troop in to watch our matches. The only thing that has affected attendance at our matches is maybe a dip in form,” he lamented.
Mr Makele said a proposal to raise the gate fees encountered significant resistance from some members of the board, who feared that it might deter fans from attending matches.
“Gombe State is not as rich as other states in the South-south or the South-west,” he said. “We take into consideration the people that come to watch our matches. We don’t want people to boycott our matches because they feel our ticketing is high. It has always been like that.”
“We thought of increasing it at the end of last season but we felt if we increased, people would start boycotting our matches so we said no, we should continue with this until the end of this season.
“The only time that people get more interested in coming is when Doma United is playing, maybe Gombe United. That is a Savannah derby, and also when Kano Pillars come visiting. That is when you see people trooping in very well to watch our matches. It (low gate fees) is not a problem for us. It’s something we will be looking at, at the end of the season,” he posited.
He lamented that the country’s economic hardship was taking its toll on the club.
“It’s not easy, especially as it’s a privately owned club. What we spent last season on matches cannot be compared to what we’ve spent so far this season because it is a full season and not an abridged league like we had last season. Now this season is one that you travel week in, week out.
“You travel for away matches, you deal with logistics at home and all these things are not as easy as they seem. We are just trying to manage what we have on the ground to see how we can finish this season.
“It has affected us in one way or another, especially when it comes to transportation. And you know the prices of fuel and electricity affect accommodation. Hotels have also increased their accommodation charges, so it has affected us a lot. Looking at the prices of food items, we had to review the feeding allowances of the players at the end of last season.
“Now that the prices of commodities are still on the increase, we are still taking a look at that because if you are giving someone N1,000 to eat one meal in a day now, it can’t buy one meal so it’s definitely something that is affecting us right now,” Mr Makele added.
The club’s only consolation, according to Mr Makele, remains the presence of fans in the stands, which, according to him, has been a major source of inspiration for both players and officials of the clubs who see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Finding alternative funding
The story is not different in the South-east, where league matches are popular, with the likes of Enugu Rangers sticking to its old ticket price.
In the words of the chairman of the club, Amobi Ezeaku, Rangers FC is owned by the people and only they can decide when match ticket increment can be enforced.
“This club belongs to the people. Our ticket prices have not increased,” Mr Ezeaku told PREMIUM TIMES
“When we get back to Enugu, the popular stand remains at N500, the corner stand is N2000 and the VIP stand is N5000 and we don’t intend to increase that.
“Don’t forget that when we came on board a few months ago, we got a shirt sponsorship of about N50 million and we are also talking with other institutions that can help us to cushion the effect of the economic hardship.
“The government is trying and some individuals are trying and supporting the club. We don’t want the fans to feel the heat of having to pay more for tickets. Everything is good,” the Rangers CEO added.
On the club’s plan for its players and officials in the light of the new economic realities, he said: “We have some sponsors and the players and officials have their contracts; we have to respect the sanctity of these contracts and we have to give kudos to the governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, who has made sure that all the contractual obligations on the part of the government are met.
“Rangers are on top of the table and a lot of interest is being given to the club. The economic hardship notwithstanding, we have devised a means to make sure we cushion the effect of the nationwide economic struggles.”
The cheering news, according to Mr Ezeaku, is that the fans have continued to turn up during league matches.
“What we have now in Enugu is a replica of what we saw in 2016. What we have recorded on the average is a spectatorship of 5500.
“There are days we go above. The game against Shooting Stars last year was over 7000. We hope that during and after the game on Sunday we will get up to 10,000 and that going forward we will be getting 15 – 20,000.
“We know the mentality of some of the fans who have not yet come to the stadium. When they think the club will carry the trophy, they will come. Remember, in 2016, we had to close the gate and put a flat screen outside because the stadium was filled and we had to devise a means of meeting their needs. After this game, Enyimba, Bendel Insurance will come around and we will see how it goes,” he concluded.
Akwa United are already feeling the heat after their gate ticket was pegged down from N2000 to N1000 and they were forced to throw the gate open for fans who could not afford the fees, no thanks to the harsh economy.
The club’s media officer, Mfon Patrick, told PREMIUM TIMES that having more fans in the stands supersedes the club’s desire to rake in profit from the sale of match tickets.
“At the start of the season, our tickets were N2000 or N1000, but at some point, we reduced it because we needed more fans at the stadium. Now our gate is open to fans who don’t have money.
“It (the economy) is affecting everything, but we are not doing too well in the league, so we need fans’ support. That’s one of the reasons. The economy is affecting everything; going for matches, fueling vehicles, hotel bills, etc. We put our fans first because they are an integral part of the team and they bring the boys up. It’s part of the team’s strategy to get more fans into the stadium.
“There is no match day that we have less than 7000-10000. Talking about players’ welfare, once we travel for matches, the feeding money has been increased,” he said.
The situation appears worse for Sunshine Football Club of Akure, whose biggest achievements to date are semi-final appearances in the 2011 CAF Confederation Cup and the CAF Champions League a year later.
For a club once managed by Kadiri Ikhana, Argentine Rodolfo Zapata, not forgetting Paul Ashworth, the NPFL title has continued to elude the Akure side.
Languishing in 18th place on the league table with 36 points from 31 matches, Sunshine Stars needs no soothsayer to inform them that increasing the gate fee would be suicidal.
The critical situation was worsened by the death of Rotimi Akeredolu, a technical staff member of the team, in a road accident. And with the state’s attention shifted to the upcoming governorship election, Sunshine are fighting not to hit rock bottom.
“For our matches, there are not many fans so we try to remove fees. It has been free for the last 20 matches now,” the club’s media officer, Michael Akintunde told PREMIUM TIMES.
“Of course, the economic downturn has affected fans’ turnout during home matches. The fans were many, and we had double or triple what we used to have during our last match against Enyimba. It seems the fans are selective as well.”
Cutting costs
“To cut costs, officials and players’ travelling are now reduced. For instance, in the match in Ibadan and Abuja, unlike before, when 27 players would embark on the trip, only 22 were in Ibadan and some would be dropped for Abuja. Unlike before, where almost 30 people will go. Everything is being beaten down.
“The economy is not too good at this time, but basically we have been trying and the more they watch good football, they will forget the poor economy,“ Mr Akintunde said.
Lobi United, despite enjoying great support from the Benue State government, are also feeling economic pains.
“We usually throw our games open simply because of the present hardship, which has caused an increase in fuel and other commodities. We don’t charge our fans. We want our fans to come and watch and we are going to do so for the remaining three home matches. We have four away and three home games to end the league.