Malawi Olympic Committee embraces sports marketing to attain self-reliance
Non-profit national sports organisation, the Malawi Olympic Committee (MOC), says it is planning to venture into sports marketing in a move to attain self-reliance in all its operations.
Kanjala talking to journalists in the sidelines of the seminar.-Photo by Watipasi Mzungu, Nyasa Times
MOC president Oscar Kanjala revealed on Monday that majority of the sports organisations in Malawi are failing to grow because of their overdependence on government subvention and other well-wishers.
Kanjala therefore emphasised the need for the sports organisations to develop mechanisms and marketing strategies that can help sporting disciplines to generate sustainable income for their operations.
The MOC tsar was speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the opening of the five-day sports marketing seminar in Lilongwe.
“Predominantly, we are experts in managing sports. But we are not experts in selling our products and services. So, the coming in of this seminar will help us share knowledge and experiences on how we can market ourselves so that we can have partnerships with our sponsors as well as key stakeholders in long-term relationships,” said Kanjala.
He disclosed that in other countries, sports organisations do not rely on government funding as is the case in Malawi where “organisations exert pressure on government for funding”.
Kanjala stated that the local organisations’ dependence on government subvention poses a serious challenge to the growth of various sporting disciplines.
“It’s a very difficult situation to run a successful sports organisation with government funding because personally we also have our own needs. And at some point, we have to work elsewhere to earn a living for our families.
“There is need to ensure that our sports organisations are well-oiled so that they are able to run smoothly with funds generated through marketing of services and products,” he said.
The Judo Association of Malawi (JAM) general secretary Osbourne Banda hailed the seminar, saying it will enable various associations acquire knowledge and skills necessary for selling their respective products and services.
It was indeed an eye opener to many.