Strong AFC branches will boost its coffers
AFC Leopards fans cheer on their team during their Football Kenya Federation Premier League match against Gor Mahia at Kasarani on May 8, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Ingwe branches have shown there is strength in unity, but only sound leadership right from the grassroots will lift the club from its current financial problems.
- In the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, AFC Leopards branches were significantly active, powerful, more productive and even helped in the players' recruitment.
AFC Leopards branches are very crucial because they serve as a corrective arm as well as the link between fans and the club.
Fans need to be alive to the fact that increased membership is key for the club’s growth because the more people sign up the more the club’s revenue increases.
AFC Leopards supporters should be made aware of the difference between being a member and just a mere fan.
Paying registration fees is a vital part of becoming an officially registered supporter of Ingwe. The clubs’ constitution states that every member shall pay an annual subscription fee.
This part of the constitution is what many followers in the clubs’ fan base ignore, with the majority seeking to know what is in it for them if they pay the cash.
Currently the registration fee stands at Sh1,000 for renewals and Sh1,200 for new members. That means that if club registers 100,000 members, a whopping Sh100 million can be realised annually to run the club effectively.
The club’s Chief Executive Officer, Victor Bwibo, says that 53 AFC Leopards branches have been registered, but only Sh2 million was received from members this season.
This means that the club has been unable enable to make inroads and solidify its presence in many parts of the country.
Kawangware vibrant
Most “Ingwe” branches have attracted the exact number of members required to register a branch (30), but only Bunyore branch has surpassed the 100 mark because members contributed money to top up for others who could not afford the whole amount required to register.
Kawangware branch, which is regarded as the most passionate, has only cleared 75 members to elect their new branch officials ahead of the national elections scheduled for next month.
Nicknamed Tharaka Nithi due to its popularity, Kawangware branch has been one of the most vibrant branches of Ingwe for many years.
Ingwe branches have shown there is strength in unity, but only sound leadership right from the grassroots will lift the club from its current financial problems.
In the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, AFC Leopards branches were significantly active, powerful, more productive and even helped in the players' recruitment.
