Increased fan base will boost ‘Ingwe’ income

The attendance of fans during the Ingwe Sports Day on Saturday convinced me that AFC Leopards faithful are ready to troop the stadia, for the love of the beautiful game, when the 2022/23 season kicks off on September 24.

During the event held at Nairobi’s City Stadium, Ingwe followers, led by Patron Alex Muteshi who is also the Director-General of Immigration, thronged the venue, some of them early enough to take vintage positions to cheer their branch teams.

The event’s organisers, Betika Kenya Limited, who recently signed a three-year, Sh195 sponsorship deal with AFC Leopards, gave out T-shirts to participating teams where winners were awarded trophies, medals and cash awards.

The fans, including Ingwe legends, came from as far as Western Kenya and Mombasa, with the hardcores preferring to watch the action from the terraces mostly the “Russia” side where hooligans who will disrupt a match at the slightest provocation prefer to seat.

They came in all shapes and sizes, with smartly dressed young ladies preferring to watch from the touchline, with some taking their game a notch higher when they turned the place a hunting ground for potential suitors. The event also confirmed that Ingwe fans want to remain ahead in stadia attendance.

But all in all, it was like a family get together where Ingwe fans got an opportunity to meet and have fun.

Fans are very crucial because they serve as correction arm as well as the link between fans and the club, but paying registration fees is a vital part of becoming an officially registered supporter of Ingwe. The club’s constitution states that every member shall pay an annual subscription fee.

Currently the registration fee stands at Sh1,000 for renewals and Sh1,200 for new members. That means if the club registered 100,000 members, a whopping Sh100 million can be realised annually to run the club effectively.

Increased Ingwe membership is key for the club’s growth because the more people sign up the more the clubs’ revenue increases. But according to the club CEO, Victor Bwibo, only Sh2 million was received from members.

For the Ingwe fan base to be reliable, all branches should follow the example of Bunyore branch, the only branch which has surpassed the 100 mark. Here, members contribute for others who can’t afford to register.

It's good Ingwe fans seem to understand the difference between being a member and just a fan, and the over 40 Ingwe branches should make inroads and register more members.

Organised AFC Leopards branches will always boost the team coffers like Betika who are our shirt sponsors, just like it was in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, when Leopards branches were significantly active, powerful, more productive to the extent of even helping in the player’s recruitment.

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