Ghana Premier League delay costing sponsors

The value of publicity and media mileage generated for the title sponsor of Ghana’s premier football league, First Capital Plus Bank, has been severely impacted by the delay in commencement of the 2014/2015 football season.
The delay in starting the Ghana’s premier league is estimated to have cost the title sponsor, First Capital Plus Bank, about US$670,000 in publicity value.
A media-tracking and publicity report, prepared by Multichoice Ghana available to the B&FT, indicates that the value of publicity given to the First Capital Plus Premier League by Supersport, a dedicated sports channel on the digital satellite television (DStv) of Multichoice, for the entire season is estimated at US$3.35million.
In the last football season the First Capital Plus Premier League benefitted for half a season, with its value of publicity and media mileage estimated at US$1,675,000.
The League should have typically begun in August 2014 and end in May 2015.
Given that the 2014/2015 football season was scheduled to commence in September 2014 after the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) congress, the title-sponsor has lost out on about two and a half months of publicity and media mileage on Supersport.
The loss of publicity and media mileage value is estimated at US$670,000. A weighted average of about US$335,000 is lost in publicity and media mileage every month on Supersport, which has presence in over 22 African countries.
The total value of publicity given to First Capital Plus Premier League in the local media for one football season is estimated at GH¢866million.
The country’s elite football competition, the Premier League, was for most part of the 2013/2014 season without a title-sponsor. The situation brought untold financial constraints to premier league clubs until an indigenous bank, First Capital Plus Bank (FCP), stepped in.
The First Capital Plus Premier League is aired in ten regions of the country by all radio, television, and Internet-based radio stations as well as on Multichoice; it represented an ideal platform for such an indigenous bank to leverage on and build its brand.
The brand value of the company is a special intangible and one of the most important assets of businesses, given the impact that brands have.
They influence the choices of customers, employees, investors and government authorities. In an environment of abundant choices, such influence is crucial for commercial success and creation of shareholder value by companies.
A meeting of the FA executives and the management of First Capital Plus Bank is believed to have taken place last Thursday at the bank’s premises to discuss the impasse.
A source close to the deal told the B&FT that “The FA executives met the management of First Capital Plus Bank to thrash out issues relating to the delay in commencement of the FCP Bank Premier League. There was an assurance that the League will likely start in about two weeks from now.
“The FA has had discussions with the Chief Justice about speedy resolution of the case for the league to commence. The Chief Justice is also believed to have assured a speedy resolution for the case by dedicating a judge to sit on the case,” the source said.
The impasse is bad for a football league that has been struggling to secure sponsorship deals for the league and football clubs in the top-flight.
King Faisal, which has been relegated from the 16-team league, brought a petition against another team in the league, Aduana Stars — citing what it called the non-payment of a fine within the 14 stipulated days permitted by the rules of the FA.
The Judicial committee of the FA threw out their petition against Aduana Stars. Aggrieved at the decision, Alhaji Grusah sought redress at the High Court.
The bone of contention is the deduction of some points from the total points amassed by Aduana Stars during the 2013/2014 football season, which would then mean the relegated King Faisal Football Club stays in the top tier of Ghana’s football clubs.
Credit: B&FT