Bullets demand broadcasting rights
Domestic football powerhouse Big Bullets have said with effect from next season, they will own their marketing rights.
The club’s vice-general secretary Kelvin Moyo claimed that in the current set-up, the team does not benefit anything, in particular broadcasting rights which are controlled by the Super League of Malawi (Sulom).
He said as the first step, they will engage Sulom on the matter.
“We never ceded our rights to Sulom, the rights are our lifeline. We do not want to get into confrontation with Sulom, so we will engage them and if it does not work then we will seek FAM’s [Football Association of Malawi] intervention.
“Almost 95 percent of our games are broadcasted, but we do not get any cut from Sulom and yet they get paid by broadcasters,” said Moyo.
Moyo also said they want to negotiate with Sulom to allow them use the space on their jerseys for advertising.
He said they have since engaged football marketing consultant Felix Ngamanya-Sapao in the drive.
“There is need for Sulom as a league to define their marketing rights and similarly the clubs as well.
“From my knowledge and discussions with various sports marketing experts, each and every league owns their marketing rights as a revenue stream, so too the clubs. A club treats the rights as its property and avenue to acquire sponsorship so too the leagues,” he said.
“In short, what we are trying to achieve is to have the clubs use their property without any restrictions, but under the parameters and modern rules of the game.”
However, Sulom general secretary Williams Banda said Bullets have not approached them on the matter.
“First, they need to understand the definition of rights, the definition is very wide. For instance, in 2008, we offered the clubs the platform for the rights, but they failed because the environment is different from elsewhere,” he said.
The Sulom GS said there is need for clubs to go step by step in taking up such issues.
“For instance, we introduced a mandatory medical aid project and the clubs are failing to remit funds. Now if they cannot handle such straightforward issues, what more with issues of marketing. The emphasis should be on players’ welfare,” said Banda. n
