SuperSport brings a new dawn

Aug 21, 2011

SUPERSPORT'S entry into the Uganda Super League is certainly one of the best things to have happened to local sport’s biggest competition.

James Bakama: I SAY SO

SUPERSPORT'S entry into the Uganda Super League is certainly one of the best things to have happened to local sport’s biggest competition.

The $5m (sh13bn) five-year broadcasting deal with the Super League that was launched at a colourful ceremony last week, should mark a new dawn in the hitherto cash strapped league.

Just like the internet’s power to link even the remotest of people, television will beam our football to an entire continent. Benefits of such a platform are immeasurable.

Top of these, will be the marketing of our game. All a club or agent say in Egypt or South Africa will have to do in order to scout into the Ugandan league will be to sit through a USL match at his or her TV screen.

The sooner, therefore, that clubs realise that good performances stand to be rewarded by big international offers, the better.

The analogy here is simple. More funding should translate into better motivated players and thus a better end product. This, coupled by the broadcasts should lift us higher.
If players have, at an average of $70 (sh0.19m) monthly pay, been treating us to quite some good football just imagine the results when pay increases say fivefold.

By the way, even the $70 has been for big teams like URA, Bunamwaya, Villa and KCC. There are clubs where footballers have not only been playing on empty stomachs, but also with no form of insurance.

You break your leg and that could be the end of you.

Standards are not only expected to rise on the pitch, but club and USL administrators will also have to raise their game. The good news is that SuperSport is ready to squarely take on this task.

That is exactly why SuperSport is taking training very seriously. In a bid to get a feel of how things are done, tours to Germany will be organised for the administrators.

Ultimately SuperSport also stands to benefit. The South African company has ventured into virgin territory. As we speak, a small fraction of Ugandans subscribe to the sports channel but as the quality of the league grows, so will the subscriber base.

But most important, will be the continued growth of the football into a multi-billion shilling industry with several employment opportunities.

It is a revolution that augurs well in an economy with serious unemployment.

This, is where I commend board members Kavuma Kabenge and Fred Muwema. The two lawyers have had a key role in brokering deals that have enriched the league’s financial profile. Their continued presence on the board can only lift USL higher.



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