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Sports Business Researcher, Ojeikere Aikhoje, who was at the Town Hall organised by Sporting Lagos, on Saturday, August 10, 2024, reports.
Sporting Lagos’ fans created the widely celebrated brand, Happy Corner, which is a special part of its DNA.
On a cool Saturday morning in the city of Lagos, fans of innovative football side, Sporting Lagos, converged on Victoria Island, for a Town Hall meeting with the club’s hierarchy.
Since its inception three years ago, Sporting Lagos has pioneered fan engagement and is clearly ahead of the pack.
Fan engagement aims to improve communication with supporters to ensure that decisions being made are appropriate and in their best interests. In addition, it keeps them informed and provide transparency as well as re-assurance.
Above all, it offers fans the chance to hear their opinions which are crucial to the future success of the team.
It was no surprise to see fans on a day many would have preferred to rest at home as the club has since positioned itself as the club for Lagos fans.
Fans came from different part of the city in what has become a tradition to put heads together ahead of the new season.
Relegation of the team did not come as a setback as fans offered solutions to get the club back on track.
As one passionate about his brand, Club Owner, Shola Akinlade, was present to provide insights.
Club Chairman, Godwin Enakhena, was also on ground to interact with the fans.
Akinlade clearly highlighted the importance of the fans.
“After relegation, we realized the only thing we have are the fans. Our best fans are the fans that talk to us,” he said.
Engagement
The event kicked off on an interactive note with fans picking their most memorable moments of the season as well as identifying matches from pictures.
Jonathan Alukwu, turned out to be the most recognisable player of the team for his five-star outing during the 2023/24 season.
After the opening session which offered fans a chance to celebrate on field positives, the opportunity to speak following the club’s inability to sustain its top flight status revealed a lot.
The decision to sack Paul Offor, who brought the club from the second tier Nigeria National League and won the NaijaSuper 8 Tournament was faulted and identified as the point where the club took a wrong move.
Ideas to improve fan engagement during the off season were also discussed.
Success Story
Sporting Lagos shocked bookmakers to win the inaugural NaijaSuper8, in 2023
Within a short time, the club has been able to create its own story and the last 12 months have been remarkable.
Sporting Lagos Football Academy won the Gothia Cup, in Sweden, this year.
Objectives of creating the club included the need to transform Nigeria’s football ecosystem, find and nurture the next generation of Nigeria’s football talents and create a lasting impact on the community through the beautiful game.
Off the pitch, Sporting Lagos created a unique match day experience/hospitality that reverberated across the city of Lagos and beyond. The club was able to recruit and retain fans with this well executed strategy.
For the first time in the history of the domestic topflight, online tickets were introduced and box tickets not only turned out innovative but fully subscribed.
In one year:
- Sporting Lagos won the NaijaSuper 8.
- Gained promotion to the NPFL in it second year of existence.
- Became the first Nigerian club to build an amazing match day experience.
- Built a recognizable football brand in the city of Lagos.
- Kicked off an academy.
- Participated in the internationally recognized Gothia Cup, in Sweden, for the first time and won the invitational tournament.
- Acquired a club in Denmark.
The Future
Akinlade has put relegation aside and planning ahead for the future of the brand. To underscore the seriousness ahead, he said: “Sporting Lagos will have to exist for the next 40 years, otherwise I have failed. We’ve done three years and looking at the next three years.
“We have a sense of where we are going and we are going to get there.”
Sporting Lagos owner, Shola Akinlade
He stressed the club’s readiness for more collaboration with the club’s fans and actively involve them in the club’s activities.
A lively Akinlade revealed that the club remains positive with its planned development of a world class facility despite the recent demolition of what was already on ground in Lekki.
“We have our assets on ground presently and we are looking for space to do what we need to do,” he said.
The European pathway for players of the club was clearly identified as part of the club’s strategy. As a result, the plan is to build its first team around players who are within the Under 23 age grade.
Akinlade revealed plans have reached advanced stage for a camp in Osapa London, Lekki, for its first team ahead of the new season.
With the exit of Biffor who was in charge when the club was relegated, a new coach will be announced to lead the quest for return to the elite class.
Success at the Gothia Cup is an indication of the importance of making its academy world class.
He said: “Gothia was good for us. You can’t imagine the number of clubs talking to us.”
Contact the writer of this story at ojeikereaikhoje@gmail.com
