As follow-up to last Sunday’s piece in the serial on how it can no longer be business as usual (and appropriately so in this pervading climate of ‘change’) if we must step across the threshold into true greatness in sports, we will take a closer look at the desirability of serious partnership between government and the corporate world for the realisation of this goal.
Even as it is acknowledged that sports can be used to positively project a country’s image and facilitate general well-being, national unity, youth development and economic empowerment, the challenge is how to get maximum benefits from provisions made by government while also attracting private sector participation in funding and management for the attainment of all-round excellence.
It seems to me that what needs to be done is systemic or structural reconstruct to ensure transparency and accountability.
As a first step in this direction, it may be imperative to remove government’s domineering posture over sports federations/associations.
Accordingly, sports federations/associations may be incorporated as companies limited by guarantee under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, with their respective statutes registered as their Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Such arrangement would make them more independent of government with an open membership policy that would embrace corporate and private persons too.
A remarkable outcome would be that mainly persons who are committed to sports development, rather than those who may have only selfish motives may want to become members of such duly incorporated bodies.
Once they are so structured with result-oriented members working on a platform of openness, the stage would be set to access and utilise the broad-based funding opportunities for real development.
However, the public and private sectors, respectively, do not necessarily have the same reasons for funding sports.
Apart from accolade and prestige, public sector motivation may range from youth empowerment to physical health and mental well-being of the people, to sport as an instrument of national unity.
Even though the private sector also gives some thought to social responsibility, its main goal is the production of goods and services for the maximisation of profit.
That is why corporate-image considerations and the ability of sports to facilitate the realisation of the financial aspirations of shareholders would determine the availability of funds from this sector.
It is noteworthy that the corporate world is fully aware that sport is arguably the most effective tool to boost corporate image and sales. But, as nothing sells like success, sport must be efficiently managed for the attainment of excellence.
As a mass-participation activity for the promotion of good health, and consistent with the Child’s Rights Act, 2003, and the Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act, 2004, funding of sports at the grassroots should mainly be the responsibility of government and to a large extent, Parents/Teachers Associations.
At present, the Universal Basic Education Commission, the National Sports Development Fund, the State Universal Basic Education Boards, the National Universities Commission, and the Education Trust Fund, are ready sources of funding up to the tertiary institutions level.
But as bodies charged with the responsibility of developing and promoting their respective sports, federations/associations have a pivotal role to play at every stage.
In order to put the funds from the aforesaid bodies to optimum use, the federations/associations must be organised and run more efficiently on standards that are characteristic of the private sector.
However, in view of the fact that sports at this level is mainly for developing athletes, the private sector may not have much to latch on to for its own benefit.
But if the private sector is fully involved in the running of the federations/associations, not only would it have a moral obligation to fund sports at this level, it would also introduce a result-oriented management style that would be to their mutual benefit.
Bearing in mind that all over the world most elite athletes are of tertiary institutions age group, there is greater reason to fully utilise the funding opportunities at this level.
Accordingly, a National Tertiary Institutions Sports Trust Fund should be set up with key private-sector representation on its Board of Trustees to effectively harness funds for the development of sports in tertiary institutions.
At the apex elite level where the best athletes to represent Nigeria can be found, a restructured Team Nigeria Sports Trust Fund Limited by guarantee with the majority of its board drawn from the corporate world would be best suited to partner with Nigeria Olympic Committee to ensure purposeful participation in continental and global championships.
This is also an area where proceeds accruing to sports from the National Lottery Fund should be properly utilised by Team Nigeria Sports Limited by guarantee in collaboration with NOC and its component federations/associations for the preparation and participation of Nigeria’s elite athletes in international competitions.
As a matter of fact, international sports organisations like International Olympic Committee, FIFA, etc., give periodic grants to the respective bodies in Nigeria that are affiliated to them.
And in an efficiently run system, media and television sponsorship rights could command enough income to probably make government funding superfluous.
Of course, more funds could be derivable from corporate branding of sports facilities with the added advantage of ensuring that such facilities are regularly maintained.
Organising and running federations/associations as parastatals of government ministries can no longer be tenable. Government should mainly concern itself with creating an enabling environment for sports to thrive by articulating a sports policy cognisant of our needs as a developing country and the expectations of the international parent bodies to which our federations/associations are affiliated; giving tax and other incentives to private bodies that are committed to sports development; and developing sports centres and playgrounds and ensuring that they are regularly maintained.
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