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Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier has indicated that the club is prepared to play the season without a sponsor if one is not found.<\/p>\n
Rachier says the club will count on its fan base to support the club financially.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe enjoy tremendous support from our fans, but time and again we find ourselves in situations where we require a consistent, sure supply of money, especially when faced with such endeavours as regional competitions.” said Rachier while speaking to the KPL website.<\/p>\n
Rachier indicated that the club has made presentations to two potential sponsors and are awaiting an answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are looking at two prospects who asked us to make presentations, and it will be very good if a deal comes out of it because transfer business has already dented our cash reserves.”<\/p>\n
Rachier indicates that the club will plan ahead and determine whether or not they will participate in all competitions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe club has survived great storms without a sponsor and I believe that we can go another season without one. Regional competitions are very expensive and as at now we are still scratching our heads trying to decide whether or not we should take part in all competitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachier also stated that the issue with the Kenya revenue authority that threatened to derail the club last season has been dealt with<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is no longer an issue. Our accounts are under no threats of being frozen. We have had all our issues with KRA resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachier’s sentiments match what he said several weeks ago when asked whether the club was on the verge of finding a sponsor. Several news outlets prematurely announced that the club was only days away from finalizing a sponsorship deal. But when asked during the press conference to introduce new signings, Rachier indicated that all he had been given was the contact information for people within corporate cicles who could make decisions on whether to sponsor the club or not.<\/p>\n
It is worth noting that the club appears have put all its eggs in one basket i.e. finding a sponsor. If that plan does not pan out the club will be left in poor financial shape. All the other contingency\u00a0 plans that the club was putting in place appear to have fallen by the wayside. The idea for a SACCO which was due to kick off on December 15 of last year appears to have stalled. The club is no longer\u00a0 pursuing the membership drive aggressively and neither is it promoting the 350100 MPESA initiative.<\/p>\n
Talk of withdrawing from the CECAFA cup is bound to be distressing to fans. To begin with, the club gave a shoddy performance in the 2014 edition and fans desperately want to make amends. Secondly the club has a very strong tradition in thos tournament having won it three times. Some of the most memorable matches in this club’s history were in the CECAFA cup. and thirdly, opportunities to win trophies of this magnitude do not come often. A victory in the CECAFA cup could very well be what is needed to attract sponsors.<\/p>\n
It should be noted also that even if Gor Mahia were to receive a sponsor, they cannot solely depend on the sponsor of they are to be competitive on the African scene. When Gor Mahia returned from Tunis after playing Esperance in March of 2014, Rachier noted that the reason Esperance had a budget that is 18 times bigger than Gor Mahia is that not only do they have multiple sponsorships but they have numerous other sources of financial revenue. For Gor Mahia to hope to reach the league stages of the continental events, they will need to build a stable\u00a0 playing unit where good players do not leave in droves every June and December. This means they will need to seek out multiple revenue sources and start building an asset base such as their own training ground, a project which will require deep finances. Long story short, whether Gor Mahia can get a sponsor or not, they should not abandon initiatives like the membership drive or 350100 MPESA initiative or even the SACCO assuming it is a workable idea. And they should steneously pursue merchandize sales.<\/p>\n
On another note, it is refreshing to see that the club is still actively pursuing sponsors. It is also refreshing to see the club adopt new strategies to fight the hooliganism menace such as the use of undercover policemen at the stadia as announced by club official Naima Aketch. These are the kind of serious measures that club will need to put in place to convince sponsors.<\/p>\n
The club will need to show sponsors that there is more to the club that just football. For one thing Numerous Gor Mahia fans and fan groups are involved in positive community activities.<\/p>\n
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