SPORTS MARKETING
A Little Bit Of This, A
Little Bit Of That
By Richard Wanjohi
F
or this Issue’s column, I’ll look at a
few events and trends in the local
and regional sports scene. This is to
see winning prospects and food for thought
within the sporting sphere. It tests the
rationale that there are no sports marketing
opportunities in this part of the world. It is
also reflective of what can be done with a
little bit of focus and a lot more of resources
from all in sports.
Stadia Management
First among 5 stadia as promised by the
current regime - Nyayo National Stadium
finally almost done, key word ‘ALMOST’.
The stadium has been under renovation
for over 18 months with the final product
almost done. The works on the famed venue
have been replacing the tartan track as well
as layering the inner venue with artificial
turf. Seating spaces and the exterior have
also had a retouch to give the venue a fresh
new look.
The stadium was also redone to include
more outlets - both for administrative,
catering and hospitality purposes. There
may be the little tiff of whether the venue
will host government functions and
national holidays as had been the case
before. Wonder too if the same would
happen to the name (remember the 2010
renaming the venue from Nyayo to Coca-
Cola National Stadium and back to Nyayo
Stadium).
The other 4 stadia are all at different stages
of development, we won’t belabor the
The biggest challenge for the local orga-
nizers of Safari Rally will be to attract in-
ternational drivers and manufacturers or
as we used to refer to them back in the day
- works teams. The motivation to be part
of a new and presumably tougher race is
one to think about for the manufacturers
and drivers alike. The other challenges in-
clude corporate sponsorship, safety mea-
sures both for drivers and rally enthusi-
asts, media rights and relating publicity
relations.
90 MAL29/19 ISSUE
point here.
Elsewhere in the UK capital, while the
economy trots along with the delayed
Brexit talks, Tottenham football club
walked in to a new stadium at their home
address, White Hart Lane. Currently
christened Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- the multi-purpose venue opened to
the public on 2nd April 2019. Some of
the sterling features include: Capacity -
62,062 fans; Pitch - first ever dividing
and retractable with synthetic turf
underneath for US’ National Football
League (NFL) games, concerts and
other events; Rest & Recreation - 65
different food and beverage outlets
with another first being a microbrewery
inside a stadium; and Payment Models
- first cashless sporting venue with full
interconnectivity - from Wi-Fi hotspots
and Bluetooth beacons and greater
bandwidth than any other current
stadium.
In anticipation of the expected revenues
to be generated, the stadium managers
are holding up for £20 million naming
rights bid. Did you read that - £20
million, approximately KES 2.6 billion!
And we’re still wondering whether to
keep some lackluster name for a national
stadium due to ‘misplaced nationalism’?
eSports
One of the fastest growing form of sport
in the world is finally making major in-
roads in the country. Over the weekend
I was privy to the Africa eSports
Championship – Kenya National League
FIFA19. This is the first time Kenya is