AfricaPress-Tanzania: WITH the Covid-19 scare now a history, attendance at matches that don’t involve three Dar es Salaam giants, Simba, Young Africans and Azam, has been disgustingly poor, a big promotion of all games is an ultimate solution.
We expected to see the stadiums fully-packed after the end of a six-month hiatus that locked football fans outside the pitches, but nothing has been improved and the attendance seems to be poorer than a period before the Covid-19 period.
We insist on attendance because sports fans and supporters are vital in the development of the game since they are the ones who lure sponsors and other supporters of the game’s development.
A club’s attendance figures can be compared to the body’s heartbeat. They reflect overall health. Victories, defeats, goals scored and league position are key drivers behind any club’s popularity.
Though there have been some challenges like stadium facilities failing to meet the needs of modern-day’s professionalism, that can’t reduce their love for the game.
It is very important to understand that the environment is now safe to attend football matches, hence we would like to insist to the teams, football governing bodies and regional development authorities to use all means that will revive a match-watching culture.
We have seen some personal efforts from individuals such as Thobias Kifaru of Mtibwa, Haji Manara of Simba and Masau Bwire of Ruvu Shooting, who have been doing a commendable job in promoting their teams before and after their encounters.
While we seek the matches to be promoted as means to lure spectators, we, as well, would like to advise players to display quality skills when playing because good and highly entertaining matches are what people want to see now.
Regional teams should know that people go to the arenas to watch good football and that can be seen through the combination of local and foreign players recruited by the three Dar es Salaam giants.
Through what we see in the race for the golden boot between Simba’s Rwandan import Meddie Kagere and a Zimbabwean Prince Dube, it is crystal clear that the showdown between the foreign imports and locally-groomed players, plays a big role in attracting fans to go to the arenas.
We end up commending the government for its wise decision to resume sports, but we again, insist all football stakeholders to find proper means of ending empty stadiums woes.
