As the industrial revolution turned around Europe, it is the sports revolution that will turn around the destiny of the youths in Uganda.
Indeed, the Uganda sports revolution is taking shape. The times are calling for the attention to youths.
There is no way you are going to gain the attention of the millions of youths who are the majority of the population without giving attention to Sports, Art and Entertainment.
Whereas it remains the role of Government to provide sporting infrastructure, finance the National teams and athletes representing Uganda and also to provide the necessary laws and policies for the private sector to invest into sport, I believe that the birth of FUFA Media Services (FMS) Ltd to manage both the radio and television channel is not only timely but one of the four buttons to be pressed in order to turn around Ugandan Sports.
My Justification
Sports Federations and their members own the rights emanating from the activities (aka Sports Rights) they organise.
The owning of such rights may not necessarily translate into the required resources to manage sports.
In order to achieve sporting results, the various sporting entities must acquire the necessary resources of; human, time and financial.
This can only be acquired from commercialisation of the sports rights.
It is not justification of the expenditure but the strong brands created out of the sporting persons, competitions and events that set the pricing of the emanating rights.
Strong Brands are determined by the massive awareness and desire of the masses to associate, identify with, attend and consume such brands.
In order to promote and cause massive awareness and consequently be followed by numbers, it is only paramount to use mass media tools.
Radio, Television and Cyber Media (aka e-Media) are not only interdependent but proven means to reach the masses.
Sporting brands must consequently ride on the advent of e-Media to create strong brands and reach to audiences beyond the venues.
The presence of sports brands on e-Media is a direct translation into acquiring the necessary human, time and financial resources and eventually leads to sporting results.
It is not by accident that federations, clubs and athletes that invest more time and financial resources register impressive results by winning more.
The challenge has been that the e-Media resource in Uganda does not accord Ugandan sporting brands the sufficient and quality presence that can translate into commercial value.
Therefore, FUFA has created FUFA Media Services (FMS) Ltd, to manage and commercialise the radio (102.1 FUFA fm) and television channel (FUFA Tv), with the objective of prioritising and providing sufficient and quality e-Media resource for Ugandan sport.
With such amount on the e-Media presence, the sporting brands (federations, clubs, venues, competitions and persons) in Uganda will become stronger, desirable, followed by numbers and consequently generate more revenues from commercial and broadcast partners.
Such revenues will be reinvested into sporting activities that will automatically lead to better sporting results on the pitch.
It is therefore important that we all embrace, promote, support, protect and be proud of the two brands of:
a. 102.1 FUFA fm
b. FUFA Tv
It is Our Game, It is Our Country.
The author is Hon. Magogo Moses Hassim
MP Budiope East
FUFA President
CAF Exco Member
This Article was originally Published on the FUFA website