President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Okraku has stated that club owners should be concerned on how to attract spectators to the various match venues to watch the Ghana Premier League games.
In recent weeks there has been poor attendance at the various stadia during Premier League games, which has become a major headache to the FA and its stakeholders.
Responding to the crisis, the Ghana FA boss, Kurt Okraku said; “Our fans are absent, our spectators are absent, we are playing football, we are doing the business of football because our fans are not consuming our football. It should be a concern to every club owner that your fans are far away from your clubs and this is not the responsibility of the FA, it’s your responsibility.
“There are other competing entertainment opportunities for every person and if you are not practical, proactive and don’t put up strategies that will bring back your fans believe me, your fans will not come. We need to be pragmatic, scientific and we need to go back to the basics on how to win the twelve men back into our football.
“Usually, it’s very normal for everybody to point fingers at Ghana FA but it’s a lie, it’s your time to do some work, it’s your time as club owners and executives to listen to your fans, go to your fans, find their worries and wore them back and this is a challenge I throw to each one of us. We love our football; we want more money in football but we can’t be sleeping. We have to think about how to get the supporters back to the stadium," he added.
On Wednesday, January 11, 2023, the Minister for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif met with the leadership of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) to deliberate on the matter.
The Ministry in a statement said, "further consultations would be made with all stakeholders including the Ghana Football Association (GFA), the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), the National Sports Authority (NSA) and supporters for their inputs on the strategy to be adopted to address the situation".
"Meanwhile, the Minister would like to encourage supporters of the various clubs to patronise the local league matches to raise enough funds to manage the clubs and develop them to the level that we all desire".
Read the entire statement below;
MEASURES TO IMPROVE STADIUM ATTENDANCE
There has been public concern in recent times regarding the low attendance of football fans at the various stadia across the country during local league matches involving the premier league clubs.
The Minister for Youth and Sports, Hon Mustapha Ussif shares in these concerns and therefore convened a meeting on Wednesday 11th January, 2023 with the leadership of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) to strategize on how to attract fans to the various stadia to ensure massive attendance for our domestic league matches.
There were fruitful deliberations at the meeting and the outcome of decisions taken are as follows:
1. Further consultations would be made with all stakeholders including the Ghana Football Association (GFA), the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), the National Sports Authority (NSA) and supporters for their inputs on the strategy to be adopted to address the situation.
2. Meanwhile, the Minister would like to encourage supporters of the various clubs to patronise the local league matches to raise enough funds to manage the clubs and develop them to the level that we all desire.
ISSUED BY:
PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT
By: Pascal Nii Gogo Amoah
