In modern times, football is a separate industry. Contracts worth 10 million have already become common here, and billions are earned only from the broadcasting rights of some competitions. In particular, Western European football has defined a different level in this regard. Investors from all over the world invest in the big clubs of the “old continent”. Since football in Europe is a very profitable area of business, the invested money is quickly recouped with a surplus.
About the topic “Caspian” We present the newspaper article.
What is the situation in Azerbaijan?
It is no secret that the existence of most football clubs in our country is possible thanks to the financial assistance that the state allocates directly to this field. Currently, three million manats are allocated annually to Premier League clubs, 300,000 manats to I League clubs and 50,000 manats to II League clubs. Of course, state support for football clubs is of great importance for the revival of this field. But, unfortunately, most of our clubs are content with such financial assistance alone. And this is enough only to somehow finish the current season, not enough for long-term activity. In conclusion, a sustainable club model is not being formed and many of our football clubs will face the threat of simply disappearing if state funding is stopped.
One of the main sources of income for clubs in world football is transfer operations. In Azerbaijan, clubs are rarely able to make money from the sale of players. In fact, if potential is invested, it will soon pay off. Our clubs, instead of middle-aged or older legionnaires, can attract young potential players for very low sums and earn a certain amount from their sales within a few years. Unfortunately, the weak scouting system prevents this.
Non-existent marketing activity.
The problem is that many Azerbaijani clubs do not understand the importance of marketing management and do not have special departments related to it. As a rule, our clubs complain that fans do not attend matches, but at the same time they do not take measures to change the situation. A fan comes to the stadium not only because of good football or the result. Clubs fail to create an emotional bond with them. Stadiums, which are usually full at European Cup matches, appear empty at national championship matches. The fact is that people go to international matches mainly because of the name of Azerbaijan. Since clubs do not have a brand, the same trend is not observed in domestic competitions. At the same time, the brand value of domestic leagues is very low. In the Azerbaijan Premier League, the concept of the central game of the round is to lose to a regular Super League match of one of the big Turkish clubs.
Clubs must have a brand.
Therefore, the brand value of the leagues must be increased, competition must increase, clubs must be branded, and measures must be taken that directly affect people’s feelings so that they are attracted to the stadiums. To be fair, some clubs are taking some steps in this direction. For example, it is worth noting the marketing activities of “Sabah” and “Neftchi”. In addition to these clubs, the “Karabakh” fan shop also operates. Recently, “Turan Tovuz” has taken some measures to attract fans to the stadium. The “Hypers” club, which will play in the II League this year, moved to Guba to assess the potential of the region and began to take certain measures there. But these are very small examples and pale in comparison to the multitude of problems. Still, most of our clubs do not even sell tickets for home matches. However, this is one of the most profitable fields in world football.
What are the outputs?
One of the biggest problems for Azerbaijani football is attracting sponsors to this field. A few years ago, the AFFA created the Football Development Fund (FDF) and through this fund, several clubs reached agreements with large and small companies. Clubs complain about the lack of interest from investors in this area, but some agreements negotiated by the FIF prove that this is a myth. All that is needed is to convince investors that football can be a profitable field.
Fans must return to the stands.
The most important thing is to get the fans back into the stands. We write about the return because about 15 years ago, many of the national championship matches had a large audience. Later, the decline in the competition and the absence of football in some regions led to the disappearance of fans. In order to get the fans back into the stadiums, the club must create special values among them.
By solving the fan problem, a certain amount of revenue will be generated for the budget from ticket sales and catering services at the stadium. The influx of people to the stadiums will also attract the attention of potential investors. Nobody wants to give money to a club that plays in front of empty stands. In fact, if the right, planned and consistent measures are taken, it does not seem difficult to create a certain business environment in the country’s football. But first of all, you need to start this process. We have not yet reached the initial stage.
