The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS have been urged to remodel their membership so as to harness more revenue at a time the club is struggling even more financially.
The club’s revenue streams have been heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. With the country’s domestic football season yet to start due to restrictions put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19, it means Highlanders cannot make earnings from gate takings. NetOne, Bosso’s main sponsors have also withdrawn their financial support to the club as they focus on fighting Covid-19. Bosso have also not been able to raise any revenue from selling membership cards.
“Covid-19 has had a negative impact on our finances, it’s public knowledge we lost sponsorship, since there is no football being played, there are no gate takings to talk about, the office was closed, so we were not selling membership cards,’’ said the Highlanders media officer, Ronald Moyo.
Seeing how precarious the club’s finances are Brian Moyo, a Bosso life member is of the view that since there are more members than supporters, the club has to cast the net wider when it comes to membership.
“A combination of approaches may do. Look, there are more supporters than members, so simple mathematics points to more focus on the larger group. The club is based in Bulawayo and the city’s economy is not at its best, so there is a need to factor this also — more informal traders than formal employment, so target the bigger group in whatever you decide,’’ Moyo said.
He feels that Highlanders have to cultivate a more responsible membership with monthly subscriptions, harness and exploit the thousands of diaspora fans as well as members, do a club magazine that is accessible online while also improving co-ordination of various Bosso chapters.
“Highlanders have to invest in business, retail (sports merchandise) bars, etc. in every chapter centre. Obviously, there is a need to streamline, in the manner that one action feeds into the next plan. Say in five years we can be there, what will be criminal is to sit and wait on the ideal time, availability of funds,’’ he said.
Owen Ndlovu, a member of the Highlanders South Africa chapter feels that the current membership mode has failed to produce results and it was about time the club tried something new. Ndlovu’s view is that life members have to also have an annual contribution as opposed to the current arrangement where they make a once in a lifetime payment.
“This (current membership model) hasn’t worked, better we scrap it or life members to have a yearly subscription. Bosso needs to have more categories of membership such as classic, silver, gold, platinum. The prices are to be determined based on economic situation on mind and rate of unemployment in the country,’’ Ndlovu said.
Since the Highlanders membership is not affordable to many, Ndlovu said potential members are signing up for clubs across the Limpopo whose annual subscriptions are reasonable.
“Bosso fans are desperate, as such they end up subscribing to Absa league clubs which is more affordable. Pricing of membership should be affordable to attract more numbers and available in every corner of the country. Membership should be available for all ages.”
When Highlanders last reviewed their membership fees at the beginning of this year, life membership was pegged at $2 000 while ordinary members were required to pay an annual contribution of $200, with $500 being paid by those signing up for the first time for the lowest class of formal involvement with the club.
