Fleetwood Haiya hoping to become the next Super League of Malawi (SULOM) President, has released a 5-point plan ahead of the elections.
On Saturday evening, the Nyasa Big Bullets vice president launched his manifesto at the Bingu International Convention Center in Lilongwe and highlighted how he wants to make his mark as the head of country’s top flight league football.
Haiya is expected to contest alongside the incumbent Tiya Somba Banda who is seeking for re-election on 25th February at a venue in Mangochi.
Fleetwood Haiya who took the leading part in the transformation of Nyasa Big Bullets into the commercialization drive has received backing from Super League Clubs like Civo Service United, Nyasa Big Bullets, Karonga United among others.
Haiya released the a 5-point plan, which will be his foundation should he be elected as the next SULOM president.
Below is the outline of his vision;
KEY STRATEGIC PILLARS
1. SETTING UP PROFESSIONAL AND EFFECTIVE SULOM SECRETARIATSULOM
Constitution envisages an Executive Committee (Exco) that is fully supported by a professional secretariat. The Exco sets policy direction, and the secretariat implements. However, for the longest period, Exco has shouldered the responsibility of the secretariat by carrying out the day-today operational work. As a result, this has affected the ability of the Exco to provide sound strategic direction for the development and growth of the League.
Recognising that a vibrant and effective Secretariat is a key driver to the development of football, I will ensure the restructuring of SULOM Secretariat that will be built on a professional and commercially viable foundation. Among others, the Secretariat will have a Chief Executive Officer (CEO),
Financial and Administration Manager and a Marketing Manager. The Secretariat will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of SULOM while Exco will focus on policy formulation and provision of strategic guidance.
The Secretariat thus, will facilitate effective and efficient management of perennial bottlenecks currently faced by SULOM. Among other bottlenecks include feeble commercialization efforts, delays in financial reports, player registration, handling of complaints, game and gate management, the failure to embrace digital platforms and leverage on existing e-networks
advanced by FIFA and FAM.
This restructuring will ultimately cure corporate governance deficiencies associated with SULOM for the past decades. An effective Secretariat will aid the elected to have a well-managed, consistent, and efficient SULOM.
It will also ensure effective game management and a solid, fair, and just legal architecture that ensures timely response of all legal and policy issues, including complaints handling and disciplinary cases.
The Secretariat will also be key in SULOM’s commercialization drive with a focus on resource mobilization, intellectual and financial capacity building to clubs within an ambience of aggressive marketing plans. Our desire is to build on sustainable gains that appeals to the solid corporate world supported by an elected board and effective secretariat.
2. SERVING CLUBS IN THEIR BEST INTEREST
We may not begin to think of Malawian football, let alone SULOM without mentioning elite league Clubs. The clubs are the hub and the DNA of our football. It has been an all-strange dealing that in the past decades, Clubs, have not been at the centre of the league. They have been treated like strangers in their own matrimonial home. They have been rarely consulted, let alone considered in key policy decisions affecting them. It is therefore not surprising, that clubs have not reaped the benefits of their efforts. The current state of elite clubs speaks volumes of how they have been neglected over the decades.
My leadership will ensure a people-centred leadership for, and on behalf of the clubs. All clubs will be treated equally and ours will be a bottom-up approach in every other consultative process, with Clubs as key stakeholders. The interest of club will come first. To advance this, I will create direct linkages and synergies in policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation at all levels of governance. Under my leadership, SULOM shall ensure effective communication to clubs as well as between and among clubs.
With the establishment of a professional and effective secretariat, SULOM will create dedicated phone lines and email where all queries, complaints, and requests for information by clubs and other key stakeholders will be channelled through and attended to in real time. This will ensure that all emerging concerns are effectively resolved within the shortest period.
My leadership will establish regional offices in Lilongwe and Mzuzu. The regional offices are aimed at bridging and reducing information and logistical challenges faced by teams in the Central and Northern Regions. This will reduce operational costs for both SULOM and Clubs.
SULOM will also operationalize and revitalise the Chairpersons’ Forum, a platform that has not achieved the intended purpose in the last decade. Among others, the forum will be meeting quarterly to examine and address challenges that the league will be facing.
The forum will also discuss key strategic issues that need to be expedited, through SULOM leadership to either FAM, Sports Council, or other stakeholders. In so doing, we shall ensure that the views of clubs are considered in the formulation and implementation of policy.
The desired end game is building leadership of integrity which strives for equity, professionalism, accountability, transparency, inclusivity, delegative and decisive in the best interest of the clubs
3. INITIATING AND IMPLEMENTING SULOM STRATEGIC PLAN
SULOM has been operating without any known strategic plan. It has been a recipe of administration disaster, to drive such an entity without a holistic management tool. As a result, SULOM has been moving in lassitude and without a compass as to what exactly it wants to achieve. This has led to inconsistent decisions, policies, and actions with no clearly defined goals. The key performance indicators were given no benchmark. The ship was sailing, with no direction, and the captain had no compass. To cure this directionless and aimless state, we shall commission the development of a sound and achievable strategic plan within Ninety days of office.
The strategic plan shall endeavour to strike a balance between ambition and realities on the ground. It shall formulate and provide pointers that are focused on transforming our league from an amateur to a professional league. The Strategic Plan will also provide guidance on the means and ways of realizing the full potential of the league through strategic partnerships with Government, the corporate world as well as non-governmental organisations.
With this Strategic Plan, SULOM will attain its aspirations of what the league wants to achieve in terms of strategic objectives in several areas such as increasing revenue for clubs and the league, infrastructure development, initiatives and capacity building programs for clubs and league officials.
In addition, the Strategic Plan will promote diversity and gender equality through the inclusion of women in the SULOM Exco.
4. REALIZING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF MALAWI ELITE LEAGUE THROUGH VIBRANT COMMERCIALIZATION
Currently, SULOM has no commercialisation strategy. As a result, our league has no corporate brand. It has failed to fully exploit existing and future commercial opportunities. Without a corporate brand, SULOM cannot attract investors and commercial partners. It cannot engage in and establish viable business deals which can increase club revenues.
To address the above gap, my leadership will engage in an aggressive commercialisation drive which will not only increase revenue for the league and the clubs but create a corporate brand. This commercialisation drive will build on the current source of funds while exploring new commercial avenues.
First, we will maximise on gate revenue by improving gate management systems, from inception to execution, to minimise gate fraud. We will undertake a due diligence, in recruitment of gate management firms though a thoroughly set procurement procedure that will call for an expression of interest. Only Firms that will satisfy required standards and capacity will be recruited.
We will embrace advance ticketing, to be complimented with e-ticketing. commission toll gates at football stadiums and increase gate revenue share. We pledge to lobby and increase the gate revenue share of clubs to a minimum of 30 percent. We will also cut spending on source as one way of curbing fraud and abuse of gate revenue.
We will further maximise revenue from media rights. Legally, SULOM is the holder of Super League rights and as a result, clubs are entitled to be the main beneficiaries. We will leverage on existing structures to maximise revenue from media rights for the benefit of clubs. We will also engage other cooperating partners to explore other avenues of maximising media rights, other than TV broadcast.
Among the deliberate efforts in commercialisation drive, we will build intellectual(capacity building) and financial capacities to clubs, through our established commercial department. Clubs will be trained in business management, business plan development and execution, to sustainably remain relevant in their business and commercial drive.
Having created a corporate brand, SULOM will engage in aggressive marketing to attract sponsorship from both local and international partners. Structures will be created to assist clubs with marketing initiatives that will help them attract investors and create alternative sources of funding, other than gate revenue.
Having expanded its sources of revenue, my leadership will facilitate an increased club subvention to a.minimum of MK5Million to ensure that clubs are able to effectively compete in the league.
My leadership will lobby with FAM and Government for direct budgetary support towards the Super League for a minimum of thirty-six months whereby it is expected that SULOM will be able to generate the same through its commercialisation drive.
SULOM will also lobby for tax waivers on capital expenditure of the clubs, sports equipment and sponsorship package to business corporations that provide sponsorship to the league or the clubs. The idea is to develop a league that is financially sound and stable. Such financial stability will ultimately lead to a more competitive and attractive league.
5. SUPPORTING SUPER LEAGUE CLUBS TO BE PROFESSIONAL AND FINANCIALLY STABLE
The Super League Clubs have been struggling to operate as professional entities. For example, most clubs do not have a clear ownership structure that can attract investors, partners, and sponsors. Having clubs that have a well-defined ownership will help topflight clubs to grow and develop into professionally run units.
Under my leadership, SULOM will help clubs with strategic advice on the best models of running and operating clubs as a professional entity. Leveraging on existing partnerships, SULOM will organize clinics and workshops to capacitate clubs on various aspects of management and corporate governance.
Without limitation, such capacitation will focus on administration, finance, legal, technical, and other aspects of football management. This will enable them to isolate gaps, identify ways of addressing such gaps and initiate strategies on improving and developing the game.
This will ensure that Super League clubs and the league itself is well managed and backed by sound and progressive technical know-how.
SULOM will also strive to arrange for partnerships between Super League Clubs and clubs in other jurisdictions. With such strategic partnerships, Clubs will share best practices, share expertise, execute business and sporting arrangements for the benefit of the respective clubs and players, among others.
Under my leadership, SULOM will strive to help clubs embrace the use of technology for both management and technical purposes. The aspiration is both administrative and technical staff should utilize modern technology to manage their operations, including conduct of training and football matches.
This professionalization drive will extend to the welfare of players and club officials. There are no clubs without players and officials and there is no Super League without them either. Thus, my leadership will place due regard of player and official welfare.
At a minimum, all clubs will be required to enter into legally binding agreements with their officials and players. Such agreements will have to include, among others, minimum wage, medical cover, and life insurance. SULOM will also organize periodic financial literacy workshops for Super League Clubs targeting officials and players. The objective is to create a culture of saving and investment to prepare them for their retirement.
The desired outcome is that all Super League Clubs attain, at the very least, a quasi-professional status to conform to the required FIFA/CAF/FAM Club licensing standards.
