Former Asante Kotoko CEO Herbert Mensah Reveals What GPL Clubs Must Do To Get Fans Back At The Stadium

Former Kumasi Asante Kotoko Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Mensah has advice Ghanaian football clubs and the Ghana FA to market their league games well to attract supporters at the various league centers.

The Ghana Premier League has been hit with poor stadium attendance in recent weeks and the experienced football administrator is of the opinion over reliance of social media in promoting games has contributed to poor stadium attendance.

“The old days when football was the only form of entertainment is over. You really have to market it. You have to put long term goals and vision into how you see the games”, everything must be well managed, social media is only an add on, you can’t over rely on it to promote your games when a majority of your supporters who watch your games are not at that level, he said.

He further advised that clubs prioritize the supporters and not club officials.

Sharing his thoughts of how he managed to attract supporters to various games involving Kotoko during his tenure, the ace sports administrator mention that his administration recognized the supporter as the most important person.

“…Clubs should see the supporters as the biggest entity and not the big man. If you recognise the fact that the supporter is the most important person, you have to manage the supporter and give him options on how to spend his money. Plan on how the supporter will spend his money on match days factoring in his accommodation, entertainment and other lifestyle. The image of the club is also a factor to look at”, Herbert MENSAH added.

Herbert Mensah was appointed board chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko by the then Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, in 1999.

Herbert Mensah set out to restore the success of earlier glories of the then failing club by implementing a five-year plan, which included sponsorships, the introduction of professional training facilities, and a transparent financial approach to the books.

He left Kotoko in 2003 after having led the team to place second in the CAF cup winners cup losing to WAC of Morocco. In December 2004, Kotoko was runner-up in the African Cup Winners’ Cup and went on to achieve more success in the years that followed.

Source: Footballghana