Low Attendance In Ghana Premier League Games: Four Key Reasons Why:
Low attendance in Ghana Premier League games can be attributed to variety of reasons but here we take you through four key areas that contribute to the seeming lack of interest in domestic football in Ghana.
The Ghana Premier League is the top professional association football league, now called betPawa Premier League for sponsorship reasons.
Founded in 1956 to replace the Gold Coast Club Competition (which began in 1933 and ended in 1953–54), the league is organized by the Ghana Football Association and was ranked 11th best in Africa by the IFFHS between 2001 and 2010, as well as 65th in IFFHS’ Best Leagues of the World ranking for 2001–2010 but the product has seen a gradual decline in attendance over the last few years due to a number of factors.
What exactly is wrong is difficult to pin down but there are obvious reasons why the GPL has suffered a significant decline over the last few years. Here I take you through a number of issues (without any scientific evidence) why the various league centres have failed to attract fans:
1 – PLAYER EXODUS: There is no sustained hold of homegrown talent due to the rapid shift of players abroad. Fans go to stadiums to watch the ‘next big thing’ among other reasons.
Imagine hearing the one player that excites you week-in-week-out has been sold to a foreign club, just imagine that. Several fans boycotting the same game for the same reason could have an indirect or cumulative impact on the brand.
2 – LOW PUBLICITY: Games get little or not enough publicity in both traditional and social media platforms. Clubs and the Football Association must make conscious efforts to sell the game to the masses. It should not be business as usual if leadership really wants to tackle the problem head on. Radio and TV advertising is a necessity for clubs to reach their fans.
3 – QUALITY OF PLAY/PLAYERS: The Ghana Football Association President, Kurt Edwin Simone Okraku said in an interview that the two big teams (Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak) have a lot to do to bring back the fans.
“It’s up to Kotoko to ask why their fans aren’t consuming their game and same as Hearts of Oak. The fans belong to the clubs and not the GFA but we will do our part”. He said.
There could be a number of reasons why the two most successful clubs in the country are failing to attract fans to their games but one will not be far from the truth if he/she posits that the decline of quality of game played is one of the cardinal causes of the disenchantment.
If teams fail to string accurate passes together or struggle to generate a functional play or steady flow and rhythm of play to win a game or string of consecutive games, supporters will naturally shy away from future games until there is a major shift.
Fans are not paid for attending games, they rather pay to watch and get entertained and so if they don’t get what they want they will obviously stop visiting games for obvious reasons.
4 – HOOLIGANISM: The violent behaviour of spectators at sporting events is a major setback for domestic football in Ghana.
Since the beginning of the 2022/2023 season, there have been more than three violent cases in the betPawa Premier League between two opposing sides. This does not only tarnish the reputation of the league but also scares away fans or anyone who hitherto has an interest in the league for the first time.
There are People who attend games just for the fun of it, regardless of the outcome — people like that will distance themselves far away from the product if there is the slightest hint of commotion or rift.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) along with the Ghana League Club Association (GHALCA) must as a matter of urgency come together to find a lasting solution to the growing disenchantment of football fans in our beautiful game.
@tangdeboy