Tackling the lack of supporters in PSL matches in today’s fast paced world

Lefupana Mahlomola Martin

It is often said that supporter are the lifeblood of sports organisation, this is because they support the organisation socially, emotionally, physically and more importantly financially. The current football match attendance in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) does not make for a good reading.

Reports in the recent past highlights that there is a decline of football matches attendance in the PSL, with South Africa’s most supported club Kaizer Chiefs recording a less than 1000 people in a league game against Baroka FC in 2017. While the PSL does not release official statistics of match day attendance, the Kaizer Chiefs poor match day attendance should serve as an indictment to the game. Whilst Chiefs attendance normally serves as barometer, evidence also suggest that South Africa’s second biggest supported club Orlando Pirates has experienced low attendance in the recent past.

 The Soweto Derby between Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates: record low attendance: Source: Getty Images

The dwindling numbers

While the Soweto Derby between Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates remains the PSL’s prime game and one of Africa’s biggest games, selling out almost every time it is played, both teams have struggled for descent crown showing in other games. Kaizer Chiefs uses FNB Stadium at capacity of 94 000 spectators and alternative Moses Mabhida in Durban at 56 000 capacity, but the famous club can only master an average of over 17 000 at FNB according to Transfer market while Orlando Pirates average just above over 16 000 spectators in their 40 000 capacity Orlando Stadium. The bar for match attendance has now been set so low that only few teams average just over 30 % of tickets sales for PSL Matches, especially league matches. I would argue that if football is to be financially sustainable, 30 % cannot be a standard nor a baseline.

It must be noted that clubs such as Maritzburg United, Black Leopards and Cape Town City to a certain extend have pulled reasonable with Leopard consistently averaging over 11 000 in the 40 000 capacity Thohoyandou Stadium in Venda.  

The possible factors

Several factors have been attributed to declining in match day attendance including the cost of tickets, competition from other international leagues on pay-tv, competition from other entertainment form such as music shows, availability of matches on TV, unreliable public transport, poor marketing from clubs, drop in football standards, night-mare stadium treatments, traffic harassments, alcohol abuse in stadium and unemployment, safety and security concerns. It can be argued that safety and security, traffic congestion and perhaps poor marketing from clubs in today’s digital world serves as import factors.

It is worth noting that the singing of mega TV rights deal between PSL and Supersport International in 2007 for over R1.5 billion served as a game changer.

First, the deal was one of the biggest in Africa and amongst the top 20 in football globally. This made PSL matches easily available with more than 200 games available on pay-tv Supersport 4 and 10 channels, while the numbers also increased with some matches televised on the South African Broadcast Corporation (SABC), a public broadcast channel.

Secondly, it is worth considering that the PSL matches face a digital disruption and increase access to international football matches on TV that causes high competition.

Ensuring the PSL remains relevant

The football business has seen highest level of competition in the recent times, as new markets continues to grow competing for the same customers. While football is still the most watched and played sports in South Africa, it continuously faces the needs to evolve and meet the needs of its followers. With increase competition from other forms of entertainment, football can not just be regarded as the be it all, must attend fun or entertainment, it now has to prove its worth, especially in terms of quality and value for money and it could be argued that it has been found wanting in this regards. 

Indeed, football remains the most supported sport. Although, the game has now transformed, professionalised and operate in a fast pace market, disruptive forces such as social media, it must finds its relevance. As football become increasingly commercialised, the supporters needs assurance of quality, value for money, safety and security in the stadiums and all round smooth transition from home to stadium. The 21^st century has seen most products evolve and most brands are leveraging on technological opportunities such as big data for marketing, social media for communication and marketing. This, I argue that the PSL has not maximised to the benefit and the growth of the game.

It would seem, however, club owners and administrators don’t fully comprehend the impact of new technological tools for the growth of their clubs and ultimately increased supports in the stadium. The question becomes – what should be done to attract supporters to stadium? In South Africa, there seems to be a lack of integration of supporters into the clubs business models and operations, hence the fans feeling of neglect.

Innovation and integration

The poor match attendance has been a subject of discussion for football people for a while, I posit that innovation and integration should be part of the solutions. I would argue that the PSL is still clinging on the lucrative deal signed with Supersport, but beyond that what is the sustainability of TV rights deal? The answers lies in getting the balance of football revenue generation of matches attendance, selling of merchandise, sponsorship and TV rights. The decline in attendance of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates is an indication of the league who is losing its status as a prime form entertainment. Clubs should focus on research on finding out why there is such a drop in numbers and begin to create a compelling reasons for supporters to attend matches.  The business dynamics in football are changing and clubs should integrate their supporters into their business models and understand their needs.

Football business around the globe have seen the need to leverage on social media as part of its commercialisation strategy. South Africa is lacking behind in this area.

Football operates in dire social economic condition in South Africa, such as poverty and high unemployment, it is therefore time for it to increase its contribution to economic growth by innovating and become solution oriented.

The introduction of the Multi Choice Challenge in township serves as an indicators for how some solution can come from within. Football should increase its impact by working with communities and universities to ensure that its successes and failures are used as case studies. If the PSL can provide the supporters with custodianship of the game and less focus on control, can drive the growth on match attendance.