Sports Consultant explains role of fans in sports development

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GENERAL Sports Consultant explains role of fans in sports development

Abigael Wafula 18:30 - 26.03.2023

Stakeholders are urged to take sports to where the people are.

Sports Consultant Pappi Odhiambo has emphasized the importance of fans in sustaining sporting fraternities like clubs and federations.

Odhiambo said the fans play a crucial role in the development of sports in the country in terms of financial support.

“With the fans not watching we cannot build clubs. This results to the clubs seeking help from the government all the time and it has a lot of other things to do. The clubs are supposed to enrich the federation,” he told K24 Sport.

He revealed that the relevant stakeholders should take the sport to where the people are if they have to fill the stadiums.

“They should realise that this is not a fixture but an event. Instead of always playing the games at Nyayo or Kasarani, they should take the events to places like Huruma, that’s where the fans are,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gor Mahia FC Chief Executive Officer Raymond Oruo has noted that the coming of the Covid-19 pandemic is what has caused the shift in the number of fans.

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Oruo said the pandemic changed a lot of things including how people interacted and he believes that it will take time before things resume back to normal.

“The pandemic changed a lot of things including the fan support we used to get before. It will take some time before we get to that point. The quality of the game is also low and we all know people love good things,” Oruo told K24 Sport.

Oruo said the pandemic changed a lot of things including how people interacted and he believes that it will take time before things resume back to normal. 

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“We have to be a little patient before things come up. The economy is also tough and I think that’s one of the reasons to the decline in numbers of fans,” he said.

Meanwhile, ex-AFC Leopards player Josephat Murila also highlighted the quality of the game in the country as the major reason why fans don’t flood the stadiums like before.

He said that when fans have high expectations when it comes to games but when the stakeholders fail to meet the standards, people will no longer be interested in watching local sports.

“If stakeholders pull up their socks, I’m sure fans will come back. When they come back, clubs will be able to get money and grow the sport,” he said.