Moorosi Tsiane
THEY might have lost the match on Sunday against arch rivals, Lioli but the Bantu marketing team are simply the best in our local football.
It is rare to find the Setsoto Stadium packed to capacity when domestic teams play but whenever Bantu host Lioli, it has now become a norm that that stadium is filled to the rafters.
They have been consistent at this in the past few years and last weekend was no exception.
A Matšo Matebele has been one of the most popular brands in the country for the past five years and their support base has grown immensely but considering the work they put in, then it is not surprising.
The truth of the matter is that Bantu has raised the bar and I just wish other teams and our national federations can emulate the great work that they have put in. all our federations need to take lessons from Bantu on how to market their events and games.
For the game against Lioli last weekend, Bantu started selling tickets as early as Thursday which is unusual in our domestic league.
There have been several calls to upgrade our football into being professional and it looks like Bantu are leading the pack as they have already made strides.
It is through gate takings that our teams can generate revenue that will help them fund their day to day operations since most do not have sponsors. Marketing their teams well is the best way of raising revenue.
I have seen Liphakoe and Kick4Life market their matches and I think what is left for them is to see that they increase their support bases to generate revenue.
Matlama and Lioli, by tradition, are among the most supported teams in the country and at some point, they were far ahead of Bantu. However, it’s so disappointing to see the two teams failing to work on marketing sides.
The more supporters the teams have, the more sponsors will come knocking at their doors. Bantu’s model has worked wonders for them as evidenced by the multiple sponsors they are associated with while others do not have a single funder.
As I bow out I just hope the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) can also try to follow in Bantu’s footsteps and their marketing office and start doing its work.
To market a national team match just a week before it’s played shows incompetence for whoever is supposed to run that office.
It is high time LeFA hires a competent communications and marketing manager and do away with the old school portfolio of public relations officer as it has failed to deliver.
The office requires someone who is always at hand. Not to take away anything away from Ntate Thabo Maretlane who is holding that portfolio but we all know he is a busy man and most of the times he is uninformed about most occurrences in the association.
LeFA needs someone who is always there and assist in looking for sponsorships and marketing their games.
In two weeks, Likuena are playing Uganda but up to today, no one has said anything about that match as clubs are concentrating on the league. So, will LeFA only start marketing this match a week before it is played?
By any measure, this is an important match for Likuena and the team will surely need all the support it can get.
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