DRAFT

Ghana Premier 1 League Report 2019 Disclaimer: This report has been commissioned and produced solely by the African Sports Centre for Data, Research and Technology (ASC). It has been commissioned and produced independently of the Ghanaian Football Association, the Ghanaian Premier League and all other professional football bodies and clubs in and internationally.

Any statements contained in this report are personal to the ASC and those surveyed. They are not the statements of the Ghanaian Football Association, the Ghanaian Premier League or any other professional football body or club in Ghana or internationally.

This report has been prepared for the purposes of general information only.

The ASC does not own or purport to own any of the names, logos or badges reproduced within this report, except the logo of the ASC. All the other names, logos or badges are the property of either the Ghanaian Football Association, the Ghanaian Premier League, a professional football body or the professional clubs to which they refer. Those logos, names and badges reproduced within are reproduced solely for the ease of consuming the content of the report.

All photos are reproduced courtesy of the kind permission of the photographer, Frank Darkwah.

All other content found in the report except that explicitly excluded above is the property of ASC and can only be reproduced with the permission of the ASC and with reference to the ASC as the source for the information.

Ghana Premier 2 League Report 2019 INTRODUCTION

he Ghana Premier League, Ghana’s elite domestic football competition, generates a lot of interest Tduring its season, undoubtedly becoming the talk of town among the football fraternity and beyond. A clash between the two biggest teams in the country, Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, goes beyond to seize interest of many who do not consider themselves football fans on a regular day.

While the league is still relevant, there are concerns interest and consumption of the competition may have dropped in recent times, consequently affecting “If you find yourself media rights, sponsorship and matchday (gate) revenue. anywhere in the In addition to these primary sources of revenue, the league also offers other commercial opportunities, football/sports value including merchandising, beverage sales and betting. chain, be it a team Furthermore, globalisation and the ongoing digital revolution present a myriad of revenue streams and or organisation, possibilities. business or corporate Unarguably, fans are the heartbeat of the beautiful entity, regulatory or game. To make the most of revenue opportunities, an governing body, or understanding of fan/consumer behaviour and market perhaps just a fan, properties/elements is critical. There is, however, little data around these vital parameters, their current this report is for you.” possible impact on the league and Ghana’s football/ sports ecosystem, and how they could potentially be exploited for strategic decisions and interventions.

The African Sports Centre (ASC) stands for the use of scientific and technical methodologies and innovations for the development of sports, largely by data, research and technology. We undertook a survey on the Ghana Premier League to generate a good perspective of revenue opportunities and possibilities as well as industry properties and elements, focusing on Awareness and Interest, Patronage and Consumption, and Commerce.

If you find yourself anywhere in the football/sports value chain, be it a team or organisation, business or corporate entity, regulatory or governing body, or perhaps just a fan, this report is for you. Read on for insights!

Ghana Premier 3 League Report 2019 CONTENTS

Key Takeaways The Ghana 5 7 Premier League

The Study Interest and 10 12 Awareness • Interest in football • Awareness and followership of GPL • Fans’ Picks -Teams’ fanbase -Teams tipped to win

Patronage & 17 Consumption 27 Commerce • GPL vs Foreign competitions • Jersey: Patronage and Appeal • Watching at stadium vs • Betting Following via media • Drinks and Beverages • Sources of Consumption -TV vs Radio vs Online vs Print -Ranking of TV sources -Ranking of radio sources -Ranking of online sources -Ranking of print sources

Conclusion & About African Sports 32 Way Forward 37 Centre

Ghana Premier 4 League Report 2019 KEY TAKEAWAYS 1 2 ASC’s survey found a football interest level Ghana’s Premier League had a high of 66% among respondents in Ghana, awareness rate (63%) among respondents, indicating a high fanbase and highlighting with 57% actually ‘following’ the topflight. the many opportunities for various sports/ This offers a good consumer market for football industry players. strong revenue strategies and income for league organisers, clubs, media, businesses, brands, etc.

3 4 Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak – To best explore revenue opportunities, commanding a combined fanbase of 68% - league organisers, clubs, business/ not only hold a great leverage for revenue corporate entities must understand opportunities (sponsorship, media rights, consumer/fan behaviour and preferences merchandising and gate receipts) but also as well as industry elements and properties for exploration of new revenue streams. for strategic decisions and interventions. Refreshingly, there are also opportunities for clubs of smaller stature.

5 6 With increasing globalisation, proliferation While general improvement of the quality of smartphones, rising internet of the league across all spheres is a penetration and quality, ongoing digital necessity, the league organiser must be revolution, and fans looking out for more innovative and explore non-traditional rewarding ways to engage with football, areas such as gaming (E-sports), betting, the betting industry – with about 75% entertainment, etc. to increase the room for development - is expected to popularity of the league and benefit from grow. There is also good news for the commensurate revenue opportunities and beverage industry (53% growth space), the income. telecommunication industry and others.

Ghana Premier 5 League Report 2019 A Liberty Professionals player and his Ashanti Gold opponent battle for the ball during a league match.

Ghana Premier 6 League Report 2019 of the Ghana Football League, 1958-2012, by Ken Bediako. Aduana Stars, the 2016- THE GHANA PREMIER 2017 champions, remain cup holders following suspension of the 2017-2018 LEAGUE season midway through the campaign and consequent annulment. Eleven clubs have won the competition so far since its he Ghana Premier League is the inception. top professional division of Ghana’s Tmen’s football league system. On October 25, 2019, Congress of the GFA increased the number of league teams Following national independence in 1957 from 16 to 18. The 2019-2020 season will and affiliations to the Confederation of be Ghana’s first 18-club Premier League African Football (CAF) and the Federation since 1980 and is set to mark the return of International Football Association (FIFA), of the competition after a one-year hiatus. the nation’s first ever organised league took The 34-week campaign, scheduled to kick place in 1958. off on 28th December 2019 and run until July 2020, will be the 57th edition (annulled The championship is annually 2017-2018 championship organised by the Ghana excluded). Football Association (GFA), precisely by the body’s These teams will face one Premier League Management another on a round-robin Committee. It was ranked the basis both home and away. 11th best league in Africa The side atop the league and the 65th in the world in table at the end of the season the first decade of the 21st become champions while Century (2001-2010) by the the bottom three clubs will International Federation of be relegated to the Ghana Football History and Statistics Division One League, the (IFFHS). nation’s second tier of football.

The league is widely followed by Ghanaians, The cup winners will also be rewarded with largely due to the popularity of football a ticket to represent Ghana in the 2020- in the country. Ghanaians consider their 2021 CAF Champions League. country as a ‘football nation’. The status of the sport as the most visible among all The 2019-2020 season will be others is aided by the national senior male Ghana’s first 18-club Premier football team’s early successes (four) at the Africa Cup of Nations AFCON ( ) between League since 1980 and is set to the 1960s and the early 1980s. mark the return of the competition after a one-year hiatus. With 23 titles, Asante Kotoko are the most successful team in the history of the NB: Due to being re-admitted to the Premier competition, four more wins than closest League at a time our survey was already contenders and arch-rivals Hearts of Oak, underway, Great Olympics and King Faisal were per information from The Complete History not considered in the design and data collection for this report. Their re-admission increased the number of league clubs to 18.

Ghana Premier 7 League Report 2019 Asante Kotoko

Upper East Hearts of Oak Upper Ashanti Gold West Aduana Stars

Northern Great Olympics Chelsea Ebusua Dwarfs Wa All Stars United Brong Ahafo Volta Dreams FC Eleven Wonders

Ashanti Elmina Sharks Eastern Inter Allies Karela United

Western King Faisal Central Liberty Greater Professionals Medeama WAFA

Map of Ghana showing regional location of the various Premier League clubs. Old order of 10 administrative regions used in this study.

Ghana Premier 8 League Report 2019 Table 1. The 18 Ghana Premier League clubs, their number of titles won, proposed 2019-2020 home grounds and ground capacities

Club Number 2019-20 Home Ground Ground of Titles Capacity Aduana Stars 2 Nana Agyeman Badu Stadium – 10,000 Dormaa Ahenkro Asante Kotoko 23 Baba Yara Sports Stadium - 40,000 Ashanti Gold 4 Len Clay Stadium - 15,000 Bechem United 0 Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park - Bechem 4,000 Berekum Chelsea 1 Golden City Park - Berekum 20,000 Dreams FC 0 Theatre of Dreams - Dawu 12,000

Ebusua Dwarfs 1 Robert Mensah Stadium – 5,000

Eleven Wonders 0 Nana Ameyaw Park - 4,000 Elmina Sharks 0 Nduom Sports Stadium - 10,000 Elmina Great Olympics 2 - Accra 40,000 Hearts of Oak 19 Accra Sports Stadium - Accra 40,000 Inter Allies 0 Accra Sports Stadium - Accra 40,000 Karela United 0 Akoon Park – 3,500 King Faisal 0 Baba Yara Sports Stadium - Kumasi 40,000 Liberty 0 Karl Reindorf Park – Dansoman, Accra 3,000 Professionals Medeama 0 Akoon Park – Tarkwa 3,500

Wa All Stars 1 Madina Zongo Park - Madina 1,000 Wafa 0 Wafa Sports Complex - 1,000

Ghana Premier 9 League Report 2019 The study

SC’s Ghana’s Premier League (GPL) survey was conducted between October and November 2019 in Ghana. Using the nation’s old regional administrative order as our Aguide, we collected data in all 10 regions, seeking people’s thoughts on the league. We undertook this study in every administrative district in each region, using a combination of online, face-to-face and mobile data collection methodologies.

The research had a sample size of 3300 participants. The number of face-to-face respondents for each region was allocated taking into account the region’s share of Ghana’s population. In accordance, the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions had the highest number of respondents overall.

We used both online and face-to-face methodologies to ensure our research did not only reach the highly educated, some of whom are likely to be found online, but also reached the less educated population who are unlikely to be found online. Also, our face-to-face methodology ensured people from both sexes and different levels of age, education and financial backgrounds were randomly sampled. Again, by collecting data in each district in each region, our research conveniently covered the entire country for a more representative sample, reaching both urban and rural communities as well as elite residential areas and inner cities.

Our study focused on: • Awareness and Interest • Patronage and Consumption • Commerce

The survey questionnaire had a total of 34 questions. All respondents were initially asked questions around their general interest in football and awareness of the Ghana Premier League. Only respondents who answered they “know of the Ghana Premier League” and “follow the Ghana Premier League” proceeded to answer the remaining questions around Awareness and Interest as well as questions on Patronage and Consumption, and Commerce.

Ghana Premier 10 League Report 2019 Survey Demographics

Table 2. Breakdown of survey demographics at levels of region, gender, education and age Region Percentage of Sample Size (%) Ashanti 21 Greater Accra 17 Northern 11 Eastern 10 Brong Ahafo 9 Western 8 Central 7 Volta 7 Upper East 6 Upper West 4

Gender Percentage of Sample Size (%) Male 68 Female 32

Educational Level Percentage of Sample Size (%) No formal education 13 Basic education 7 Junior High School (JHS/JSS/Middle School 13 Secondary/Vocational 16 Tertiary 51

Age Percentage of Sample Size (%) 14 and below 2 15-24 32 25-34 47 35-44 11 45-54 5 55-64 2 65 and above 1

Ghana Premier 11 League Report 2019 INTEREST AND AWARENESS

Interest in football

ootball is globally believed to be the It is also not surprising to see the Greater biggest sport, with nearly half of the Accra Region just behind the Ashanti Fworld’s population interested in the Region. Like Ashanti, Greater Accra has beautiful game, according to Repucom’s contributed heavily to Ghana’s player pool World Football report. This publication also and also hosts Hearts of Oak, who together indicates Africa has the most engaged with Kotoko make up Ghana’s two biggest fanbase, with over three quarters of the clubs. The region also has arguably the continent’s population said to be interested highest number of football clubs in the in the sport. country, a status aptly reflected in the coming 2019-2020 Ghana Premier League So just how popular is ? season as 5 of the 18 participating clubs will be based in the region. ASC’s survey on the Ghana Premier League registered a 66% interest rate in football In rating ‘level of interest’ (on a scale of 1-10 in Ghana, confirming the much-acclaimed with 1 being lowest and 10 being highest), ‘football nation’ tag. however, Greater Accra trumped , contributing 24% of respondents Males contributed 82% of the ‘interested who declared a high level (8-10) of interest. population’, with 18% coming from females. Ashanti Region had a 20% share.

With regards to regional distribution, the The general football interest levels in Ashanti Region had the highest interest Ghana may have been affected by the share of 22%, two percentage points nation’s struggles in major international more than the . The competitions in recent times, reservations Northern and Brong Ahafo regions came about the quality of the domestic league in third, each with 10%, while the Upper West recent years, complaints about the level of Region sat bottom of the list with only 3%. football administration in the country and a GFA leadership crisis at the time of this The popularity of the sport in Ashanti survey. Region could be attributed to the presence of Kumasi-based Premier League club It is nevertheless worth stating that Ghana’s Asante Kotoko, who stand as the most current football interest rate is higher successful outfit in the history of the than that of some widely known football topflight with 23 titles and are believed to countries like France, UK, Germany and command the biggest and most-devoted Brazil. fanbase in the country. Ashanti Gold and King Faisal are also based in the region.

Ghana Premier 12 League Report 2019 Understanding the size of Ghana’s football market is necessary in forming a better perspective on revenue opportunities and possibilities in the Ghana Premier League.

Football interest status in Ghana Contribution of each sex to people interested in football 82% 18% 66% 34%

Interested Not Interested in football in football Male Female

Regional distribution of people interested in football

Ashanti 22%

Greater Accra 20%

Northern 10%

Brong Ahafo 10%

Eastern 9%

Western 8%

Volta 7%

Central 7%

Upper East 4%

Upper West 3%

Ghana Premier 13 League Report 2019 Comparison of Ghana football interest level (66%) to some major countries

50% 51% 60% 60%

France UK Germany Brazil

67% 70% 70% 75% 75% 80%

Italy South Africa Spain Turkey Portugal UAE

Data Source: Nielsen’s World Football Report 2018

A fan shows his excitement during a match.

Ghana Premier 14 League Report 2019 Awareness and followership of GPL As Ghana’s biggest local football asset, the Premier League was expected to command a good level of awareness among the populace. Indeed ASC’s result confirmed the suspicion as 63% of respondents said they ‘know of the Ghana Premier League’, with 57% indicating ‘they follow’ the topflight.

Aware of GPL 63%

Aware and follow GPL 57%

Aware but don’t follow GPL 43%

Not aware of GPL 37%

Fans’ Picks Teams’ Fanbase Asante Kotoko commands the largest football fanbase, with 41% of the league’s followers rooting for the club in the upcoming 2019-2020 season. 27% picked Hearts of Oak while 7% interestingly said they would not be supporting any team.

To understand how deeply fans knew their clubs, respondents were asked whether they could mention up to five players in their favourite teams. Of the 51% of fans with affirmative response, 56% were Kotoko fans, Hearts had 26% while Ashanti Gold came third with a contribution of 6%. Familiarity with players is key to forging a deep fan attachment to clubs.

41% 27% 20% 5% 7%

Asante Kotoko Hearts of Oak Ashanti Gold Others combined I don’t support any team

Representation of Fanbase

Ghana Premier 15 League Report 2019 Teams tipped to win 2019/2020 GPL

45% 24% 15% 6% 10%

Asante Kotoko Hearts of Oak Ashanti Gold Others combined I don’t know / I’m not sure

Most Exciting Player

16% 15% 11% 7%

Songne Yacouba Felix Annan Emmanuel Gyamfi Shafiu Mumuni Kotoko Kotoko Kotoko AshGold

6% 6% 6%

| Justice Blay Joseph Esso Manaf Gumah Kotoko Hearts Hearts

33% Others combined

Ghana Premier 16 League Report 2019 PATRONAGE AND CONSUMPTION

A high level of interest in football simply means a high level of market and consumers.

Historically behind gate receipts and sponsorship, media right is increasingly becoming the biggest source of revenue in football. According to FIFA, most of its revenue around the World Cup comes from media rights, while Sportradar’s The Future of the OTT Experience indicates media right has since 2017 overtaken gate receipts and sponsorship as the topmost revenue source in North America.

To best explore these revenue sources and others, it is necessary to first dive into fan/ consumer behaviour, preferences and patterns/forms of engagements.

Matchday Preference

15%

45% Watch a match in major European leagues Watch a GPL match

Undecided 40%

Preference: Ghana Premier League vs European Leagues The Ghana Premier League currently faces big competition from the major European football leagues for the eyeballs of the Ghanaian populace. So keen has the challenge been that there have been recent calls for a ban to be placed on broadcast of foreign leagues in the country.

Ghana Premier 17 League Report 2019 Our survey outcomes provide a better perspective on the state of the competition. Only 40% of respondents said they would prefer to watch a match in the domestic league on a typical matchday; 45% will prefer to watch a match in the major European leagues while 15% were undecided.

Indeed the Ghana Premier League trails five other championships as the sixth most watched major football competition in the country, behind the English Premier League, FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, Africa Cup of Nations and the Spanish LaLiga.

Considering the popularity of these foreign/international leagues and competitions in Ghana, particularly in the last decade, these figures did not come as a surprise.

Mostly followed football competitions in Ghana based on behaviour of survey respondents

63% 55%

51%

46%

41%

32%

21%

18%

15%

13%

Ghana Premier 18 League Report 2019 Preference: Watching at stadium vs Following via media

ASC asked fans about their consumption preferences on watching a Ghana Premier League match live at the stadium opposed to following a game via media coverage (TV, radio, online, print) on a typical match day.

Pleasantly for the topflight, 69% of respondents said they would prefer to watch matches live at the stadium, 22% stated they would prefer to follow through media coverage, while 9% were undecided.

It is worth adding that these are just preferences and not current reality.

Respondents were quick to add their consumption preference could translate into reality should the Ghana Football Association (GFA) put more effort into improving the league.

Attendance at match centres has dropped worryingly in recent times, a situation the FA have refreshingly identified as a key area to address in a bid to improve the fortunes of the league. The GFA says it plans to massively improve the match day experience to attract more fans to the stadia, particularly around entertainment.

Less than a week into his election as new FA president, Kurt Okraku held a discussion with Ghanaian dancehall icon Shatta Wale to “explore innovations and embrace dynamism to make Ghana football great again”.

Matchday Preference

9%

22% 69% Watch live at stadium

Media coverage

Undecided

Ghana Premier 19 League Report 2019 TV Coverage

ASC’s research found out majority of Ghanaians, 71%, did not ‘know if the Ghana Premier League matches would be broadcast live on TV in the coming 2019-20 season’.

Of the population that knew matches would be broadcast live on TV, 34% said they did not know the exact TV station which would broadcast the matches.

The generally low knowledge of TV coverage may be due to the timing of the survey, which was conducted during a period where the major football talking point in the country centered on an imminent election of a new GFA president and Executive Council. With the GFA still trying to put its house in order at the time following a major leadership setback, little attention was focused on promoting the league which was initially scheduled to commence around the time of the elections.

Asked whether they would ‘subscribe to a pay TV to get access to watch matches in the Ghana Premier League, 49% answered ‘no’, 38% said ‘yes’ while 13% were undecided. This highlights the importance of free-to-air TV in taking the game to more people and improving popularity of the league.

Do you know if Ghana Do you know which TV station Premier League matches will will be broadcasting matches be broadcast live on TV in the live in the 2019-2020 Ghana coming 2019-2020 season? Premier League season?

34% 29% Yes 71% Yes No 66% No

Online Streaming

With over-the top (OTT) services increasingly rising as a major revenue source for football organisers, ASC asked respondents whether they would ‘consider watching a Ghana Premier League match online via live streaming if the option were available’. To this, 63% answered ‘yes’, 29% said ‘no’ while 8% were undecided.

With Ghana’s present internet penetration rate standing at 35%, according to the 2019 Digital Report, there is a huge current untapped territory which is only expected to grow by each year, raise the consumer base and open up more opportunities for content providers.

Ghana Premier 20 League Report 2019 Will you consider watching a Ghana 8% Premier League match online via live streaming Yes 63% if the option were 29% No available? Undicided

Social Media The digital revolution has provided new ways for fans to engage with their favourite sports and teams.

42% of respondents in ASC’s survey said they ‘always’ use social media to follow news/ events/happenings in the Ghana Premier League, 41% said they only use social media ‘from time to time’, while just 17% indicated they ‘never’ use social media as a means to follow the Ghana Premier League.

We also wanted to find out whether fans knew their favourite clubs had social media platforms and about the fans’ state of satisfaction with the level of activity and/or content on these platforms. 54% of respondents said their favourite clubs have social media platforms, 38% did not know whether their favourite clubs have such platforms or not, and 8% said their favourite clubs have no social media platform.

The 2019 Digital Report pegs Ghana’s social media penetration at 19%, growing by 3.6% in a year. The total number of active social media users stands at 5.8 million people, each averagely spending three hours and seven minutes daily, the most used platforms being, in order of popularity from first to ninth, WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Skype and LinkedIn.

How often do you use social media Does your favourite GPL club have a to follow news/events in the Ghana social media platform? Premier League?

17% 8% 42%

Always Yes Never 38% 54% No From time I don’t know to time 41%

Ghana Premier 21 League Report 2019 Consumer behaviour of respondents: TV vs Radio vs Online vs Print 66% 55% 47% 5%

Radio TV Online Print (Newspaper or Magazine)

Ranking of TV sources based on behaviour of survey respondents

GTV/GTV Sports Plus 56%

Angel TV 16%

StarTimes 14%

SuperSport (DSTV) 13%

TV3 13% rank Kwese TV

12% ing of tv soutce Joy Prime/Joy News 11%

GHOne TV 11%

Metro TV 10% s Adom TV 10%

Citi TV 10%

UTV 9%

Atinka TV 8%

Net 2 TV 5%

TV Africa 4% Kessben TV 1%

Sources less than 1% not listed.

Ghana Premier 22 League Report 2019 Ranking of radio sources based on behaviour of survey respondents

Angel FM 23% R ank Kessben FM 21% ing Of Asempa FM 19% R

Adom FM 19% adio Source Nhyira FM 15% Citi FM 13% s Peace FM 12% Atinka FM 10% Joy FM 9% Hello FM

9% Happy FM 8% Oyerepa FM 5% Kasapa FM 5% Luv FM 4% 3 FM 3% Oman FM 2% R

Radio Gold 2% ank Onua FM 2% ing Of Silver FM 1% Starr FM 1% R adio Source

Sources less than 1% not listed. s Ghana Premier 23 League Report 2019 Ranking of online sources based on behaviour of survey respondents

Ghanasoccernet.com 27%

Ghanaweb.com 20% Goal.com/en-gh 20% Ghanasportsonline.com 17% Myjoyonline.com 15%

Facebook 14% rank

Ghanapremierleaguelive.com 14% ing of online source Kickgh.com 13% Ghanafa.org 13% Twitter 12% Citisportsonline.com/ 12%

Citinewsroom.com s Adomonline.com 10% Footy-ghana.com 9% Peacefmonline.com 9% Footballmadeinghana.com 8% Pulse.com.gh 3% R

Sportsworldghana.com 3% ank 442gh.com 2% ing Of R adio Source

Sources less than 1% not listed. s

Ghana Premier 24 League Report 2019 Ranking of print sources based on behaviour of survey respondents

Graphic Sports 22% rank

Ghana Sports 19% ing of print source

Kotoko Express 16% s Finder Sports 4%

Sources less than 1% not listed.

Dreams FC vs Inter Allies during a game. rank ing of print source s

Berekum Chelsea during a game.

Ghana Premier 25 League Report 2019 Table 3. Ghana Premier League clubs, size of their Facebook following, size of Twitter following and total of Facebook and twitter following

Club Facebook Twitter Total Followers Followers Followers Asante Kotoko 120K 190K 310K Hearts of Oak 127K 151K 278K Dreams FC 45.9K 28.2K 74.1K Inter Allies 25.2K 38.5K 63.7K WAFA 9.1K 36.6K 45.7K Berekum Chelsea 20.5K 23.8K 44.3K Ashanti Gold 26.2K 17.9K 44.1K Elmina Sharks 18.6K 21.7K 40.3K Liberty 16.1K 21.1K 37.2K Professionals Medeama 1.5K 30.6K 32.1K Ebususa Dwarfs 2.4K 22.3K 24.6K Wa All Stars 4.8K 19.3K 24.1K Aduana Stars 8.8K 11.8K 20.6K Bechem United 2K 13.6K 15.6K Karela United 7.7K 6.9K 14.6K Great Olympics 4.7K 5K 9.7K Eleven Wonders 2.3K 5.1K 7.4K King Faisal 2K 345 2.3K

Following numbers as at 22nd December, 2019

Ghana Premier 26 League Report 2019 COMMERCE

rowing football interest globally were Asante Kotoko fans. Hearts of Oak has been nothing but good news contributed 31% while Ashanti Gold stood Gfor the sport’s industry entities third at 4%. and businesses. Merchandising has been a traditional revenue stream for football 68% of the ‘ever owned’ population said clubs, with commercial deals with kit they ‘bought’ the jersey. manufacturers particularly greatly boosting the drive. Although 58% indicated ever owning a jersey, there was an increase to a percentage The betting industry is growing in leaps of 68% when fans were asked if they would as data heads more and more towards ‘buy a jersey of a Ghana Premier League the centre of content distribution and fan club in the future’. engagement, and as fans find newer and more paying ways to engage with the sport. Over three-quarters (77%) of the respondents who plan to buy a jersey in The beverage industry has been a key the future said they ‘intend to buy the new contributor to fuelling the matchday and 2019-20 season jersey’ of their favourite fan experience. The surge of the betting team. Just over half (51%) of followers of and beverage industries has also reflected the league were ‘aware of’ or ‘had seen’ the in more inputs into sponsorships. jersey of their favourite team for the coming 2019-20 season. So what is the nature of Ghana’s ecosystem and what are some of the opportunities With Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak available? commanding a combined 68% of the fanbase, we sought to find out about opportunities and possibilities of the Jersey: patronage and appeal remaining 16 Premier League clubs tapping ASC enquired whether fans have ‘ever into the fanbase of the ‘big two’. Asked if owned a jersey of any Ghana Premier they would ‘ever buy a jersey of a team they League team’ or not. did not support for one reason or the other (e.g. because of beauty)’, nearly half (48%) Over one-third (39%) of fans responded in answered ‘yes’, 43% answered ‘no’ while 9% the affirmative, 58% said they have never were undecided. owned one, while 3% said they ‘did not know’ or ‘couldn’t remember’ whether they Earlier this year, Kotoko and Hearts have ever owned one or not. announced deals with kit manufacturers Strike and Umbro respectively for the 88% of the fans to have ever owned a jersey coming season, throwing the domestic were males, with females contributing 12%. sports fraternity into a battle over the more Half (50%) of the ‘ever owned’ population beautiful jersey. With growing interest in

Ghana Premier 27 League Report 2019 this kits ‘fight’, ASC enquired from fans which Ghana Premier League team they considered to have ‘the most beautiful jersey’ for the coming 2019-2020 season among all clubs. Respondents were encouraged to make this choice independent of their team affiliations and allegiances.

Interestingly, Hearts of Oak’s home jersey emerged top of the log with a percentage point of 33. Kotoko’s home jersey had 21%, 18% of fans said they ‘did not know’ or ‘were not sure’ while the remainder of the points were shared across the other teams.

Have you ever owned a jersey of a Ghana Premier League team?

No 58%

Yes 39%

I don’t know or Can’t Remember 3%

Will you ever buy a jersey of a Ghana Premier League club in the future?

68%

Yes

Undecided 18%

No 14%

Ghana Premier 28 League Report 2019 Do you intend to buy the new 2019-20 Are you aware of or have you seen the season jersey of your favourite team? jersey of your favourite team for the up coming 2019-20 Ghana Premier League 77% Season?

Yes 51%

15% No 49% 8%

Yes Undecided No

Will you ever buy a jersey of a team you do not support?

Yes 48%

No 43%

Undecided 9%

Ghana Premier 29 League Report 2019 Most beautiful jersey for 2019-2020 Ghana Premier League season

33% 21% 28% 18%

Hearts of Oak Asante Other teams I don’t know Kotoko combined /I’m not sure

Betting With rising internet penetration rate and proliferation of smartphones, the popularity of gambling is on the ascendency worldwide.

Interestingly, 75% of the league’s followers said they ‘do not bet’ or ‘have never bet’ on a match or matches of the topflight. 23% said they have, while 2% indicated they ‘did not know if they ever have’ or ‘could not remember if they ever have’.

93% of the betting population were males, with females contributing only 7%.

Betting was also most popular in the Greater Accra (27%) and Ashanti (16%) regions. Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak fans contributed most to the betting population with 45% and 31% respectively.

When asked if they were ‘open to betting in the future’, 67% of respondents Ranking Of Radio Sources answered ‘no’, 27% answered “yes’ and 6% were undecided.

Do you bet or have you ever bet on Will you bet or are you open to betting on (a match or matches of) the Ghana (a match or matches of) the Ghana Premier Premier League? League in the future?

2% 6%

23% 27% Yes Yes No No 67% 75% I don’t know/ I don’t know/ I can’t I can’t remember remember

Ghana Premier 30 League Report 2019 Drinks and beverages With regards to drinking habits of fans, 53% of respondents said they are ‘unlikely’ to take in any form of drink when watching a Ghana Premier League match. 34% indicated they are ‘likely’ to take a non-alcoholic drink, 9% revealed they are ‘likely’ to take a drink, be it alcoholic or non-alcoholic, while 4% said they were ‘likely’ to take in an alcoholic drink.

Of the drinking population, 86% were males, with females contributing 14%.

Also, the age group of 25-34 contributed over half (51%) of the drinking population, representing an interesting potential area of growth for the industry in the future.

When watching a Ghana Premier League match, are you likely to drink?

4% 9% Yes, non-alcoholic/soft drink Yes, any, be it alcoholic or non alcoholic 53% 34% Yes, alcoholic No, I don’t drink when watching a match

Ghana Premier 31 League Report 2019 Table 4. Some Ghana Premier League clubs, their kit provider/manufacturer, main shirt sponsor and other major sponsors/partners Team Kit Provider/ Main shirt Other Major Manufacturer sponsor Sponsors/Partners Aduana Stars - Betway - Asante Kotoko Strike MTN Paradise Pac Mineral Water, Royce Energy Drink, Hollard Insurance Ashanti Gold ABM Sport- Betway Jungle Energy Drink, Kikuu, wear Champion Divine Clinic Bechem United Fitcom - Aalborg Berekum Chelsea Laurus SO Frimpong Soccabet, Build Mate, Sultan Transport Drinks Dreams FC Nike Mybet Philteng Medical Centre, Nakiya Laundries, SPOCS, Gold’s Gym

Ebusua Dwarfs Pokoo BOLTE - Eleven Wonders - - - Elmina Sharks - - - Great Olympics Strike - - Hearts of Oak Umbro - - Inter Allies Capelli Sport - - Karela United Fitcom Ghana Gas - King Faisal Fitcom - Hisense Liberty Strike Betway Reeds Industries, Professionals Landsar Developers Medeama Pokoo Betway Goldfields – Tarkwa and Damang, GMC Wa All Stars - Lemla Petroleum -

WAFA - African Tiger -

Ghana Premier 32 League Report 2019 Clubs were still engaging potential sponsors/partners ahead of the start of the 2019- 2020 Premier League season as at the time of publication of this report. A dash (-) in Table 4 means club were as yet to seal or confirm deal(s) as at the time of ASC’s last contact for information.

Die-hard Ghana fans in charged mood during a game.

Ghana Premier 33 League Report 2019 CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD

Fans: The goal here is no argument that fans stand at the heart of football. The ultimate targets of all the major decisions and every dollar spent, they form the consumer base of Tthe football product and the game has only become more profitable and lucrative because of them. Indeed almost every part of the football value chain seeks to sell to fans.

The top revenue sources of football leagues and clubs all look to fans. Companies will pay hefty amounts for broadcast rights because of the fans, brands venture into sponsorship with football leagues and clubs in order to tap into a fanbase and sell to them. Merchandising and matchday/gate sales have been tradition revenue sources because of fans. Clubs spend a lot money on player transfers to strengthen their teams, ultimately to make their fans happy.

If the fanbase is key, then so is its size. A larger fanbase simply means a larger audience and market to sell to and a larger opportunity to rake in commensurate revenue.

The importance of fans to the existence and development of sports cannot be overemphasized. It is for this reason that understanding fan behaviour, preferences and trends is paramount. Efforts must be made to find who fans are, where they are, how they interact or engage with the sport, how, when and how much they consume, what devices they use to consume, etc.

Only with this knowledge can a fanbase be nurtured and grown, appropriate marketing and selling strategies be formed and implemented, tailor-made content be fed, and ultimate revenue growth be stimulated. It is important that fans are treated as the ‘customers’ that they are, with more consideration, care, respect and relevant product pitches.

Ghana’s 66% football interest rate, even at a time when the figure is believed to have fallen, ranks among the top in the world. It is higher than those of France, UK, Russia, Germany and Brazil, who have considerably far bigger industries. Certainly, there is more than enough market for Ghana’s football industry to thrive and surely more areas to explore.

Quality and innovation the future To satisfy your consumer base, however, quality of product is of utmost importance. The general quality of the league, chiefly the matchday experience, must be an area of deep concern to the league organiser. This quality improvement must cut across all product distribution means such as the stadium, digital, media, etc. Infrastructure, officiating, ticketing, quality of play, pitches, players, coaches, among others, cannot be overlooked.

Ghana Premier 34 League Report 2019 There are other areas such as the scheduling of matches (spreading matches across more days and increasing kick-off time slots). This will be important in putting more matches on TV, thus attracting more eye balls, increasing broadcast right fees and attracting more sponsors who would want to take advantage of the high consumer interest to advertise or sell products and services.

Of course, there are also concerns about the calls to re-examine kick-off times and match days as Ghana does not possess the necessary infrastructure and logistics around transports, accommodation, night travels and safety, unique populace characteristics, etc., as do the likes of England, Germany, Spain and Italy, where broadening of kick-off times and match days have become a major game changer for increasing revenue.

TV rights stand among the biggest sources of modern day football revenue and this has largely been boosted by pay-TV outfits. To send the football product to more people and ultimately improve popularity of the league, however, it is important that the league organiser pays special considerations to free-to-air channels too.

Aside from the generally low Ghanaian standard of living which leaves a large proportion of the populace unable to afford pay-TV, 62% of respondents in ASC’s survey either said ‘no’ or were undecided about the option of subscribing to pay-TV to access matches in the league.

Again, the FA must find new innovative ways, e.g. betting and gaming (E-sports), to engage with new fans and increase the popularity of the league, clubs and players. According to a Nielsen Sports report, awareness of the football among active gamers in the US and the UK stood at 66% and 83% respectively in 2018, considerably higher than the general football interest rate in both countries.

Entertainment, an industry with its own huge fanbase and traditionally a competition to sports, is now being married with sports in what is now called ‘sportainment’. This does not only shrug off some of sports’ direct competition from entertainment but serves as an innovative way to bite into the entertainment fanbase, woo new patrons and increase the sports consumer base.

The GFA must focus on research and data to understand the football consumer/fan behaviour and market patterns which are drastically changing with increasing globalisation, the digital revolution, the proliferation of smartphones, rising internet penetration and quality, among others. These changes pose adaptability problems for league organisers, sports clubs and businesses, but they also open up more revenue stream opportunities.

Over-the-top (OTT) streaming is one such emerging opportunity. With rising internet penetration, increasing internet quality with the coming of 5G and the upsurge of smartphones, fans want to be able to have the luxury of accessing content on demand, no matter their location, and with increased control. This bodes well for the streaming industry. The opportunities here do not only benefit the league and teams in terms of sending the football product to more consumers and benefiting from commensurate media right

Ghana Premier 35 League Report 2019 fees but also boost device manufacturers, mobile data companies, content distributors, associated brands and advertisers.

To increase fan attachment and interest, the league, clubs and players must strive to brand themselves - the kind that will ignite passion, command respect, reside at a high pedestal and consequently generate a big pull on fans.

Also, to encourage more corporate and business participation and investments to boost the industry, it is important that the league organiser and clubs do not focus solely on themselves in decision-making but also on the other industry players – like media, businesses, brands, etc., - who are directly and indirectly affected by major decisions.

Digitalisation, Social media, content and engagement the world of opportunities Clubs have an equal responsibility to follow the latest consumer trends for their own benefit. The appetite for content keeps rising among fans who want to get even closer to their favourite clubs and icons, with interest in behind-the-scene activities, how they prepare for games, cool off after matches, and a deeper view of the lives of their favourite superstars.

There is also an ongoing shift as fans are now taking to following matches via multiple screens, consuming stats and other match information as they watch games, sharing their thoughts on social media and monitoring what others are saying about ongoing games online. This drift has been promoted largely by the influx of smartphones, increasing digital revolution, improving internet quality, among others.

This presents as much opportunity for league organisers as well as clubs, who can harness the power of their large fanbases. Big follower numbers will only attract businesses and brands who will want to tap into these markets to advertise or sell products and services.

Ultimately, it will all come down to content, quality and relevant content, which will determine the level of active online engagements, commensurate growth of fanbase and corresponding revenue opportunities and income.

Indeed, the value of research, data, and technology in the development of the Ghana Premier League, all elements of its value chain/industry and in making the most of revenue opportunities cannot be overemphasised.

Ghana Premier 36 League Report 2019 ABOUT US

African Sports Centre for Data, Research and companies. We are more than happy to Technology (also known simply as African partner, serve or help. Sports Centre or ASC) is an organisation committed to championing the use of The games and industry have moved on scientific and technical methodologies and from opinions, intuitions and theories innovations for the development of sports, to data, research and technology-driven largely by data, research and technology decisions. For long, Africa has lagged (DR&T). behind. But the narrative has been on the change. And we, the ASC, are proud to lead Our objectives also target four of the UN’s the charge. 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): (3) Good Health and Well-being, For any enquiries about our survey or this (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (9) report or to commission a custom study, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and contact us by email: [email protected]. (17) Partnerships for the Goals.

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Ghana Premier 37 League Report 2019 An Inter Allies player challenges a Bechem United man for the ball during a league game.

Ghana Premier 38 League Report 2019