Playing GPL without sponsorship will be tough
Given the huge financial responsibility of clubs who participate in the Ghana Premier League (GPL), most clubs may not survive if sponsorship is not secured to ease the burden next season.
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Averagely, each club spends about GH¢1.5m each season and clubs may soon find themselves in a state of bankruptcy if help by way of sponsorship does not come.
Delali Senaya, the president of Inter Allies FC, who is also vice chairman of the Marketing and Sponsorship Committee of the Ghana Football Association, confirmed that clubs have struggled to hold their heads above water in the past seasons they have competed in the GPL without sponsorship and revealed that: “It will be difficult if the situation does not change in the coming season.”
Senaya, who was part of the GFA team that visited the Graphic Sports last Thursday, also disclosed that the bigger clubs’ budget normally shot up into the roof with some spending more than GH¢4.5m in a season.
Breaking down their expenditure, the Inter Allies boss said they sometimes incur as much as GH¢8,500 for just a return trip during an away game “and that include transport cost, feeding, and hotel bills” but said it even goes up depending on the distance.
“For instance, if we have to play a tough game like Kotoko, we have to travel on Thursday in order to get the players enough rest before the game and you can imagine the cost” he noted and was saddened by how club owners were suffering without sponsorship.
His assertion was corroborated by Frank Nelson Nwonkolo, board member of Accra Hearts of Oak and chairman of the committee, who said the budget of the bigger clubs are thrice the GH¢1.5m average which is hurting the clubs.
Senaya said the league had been without sponsors in the last two seasons and if nothing was done in the coming season to secure sponsorship for the league, the consequences would be dire for the club owners.
“It is understandable if the league is without sponsors for one season but two to three seasons is unacceptable and cannot continue like that and we need to do something about it,” the vice chairman said.