Clubs Contribute To Healthy Economy

Sporting success particularly in football has always produced a certain pride among those interested in the game. Many towns and cities in Ghana notably Cape Coast, Sunyani and Kumasi are equated with their football clubs. Following a home win in such cities the sense of local pride is palpable.

From a similar perspective, a successful football club contributes towards a healthy economy in the local area. The reverse also applies. Where there is a prosperous local economy, people spend more on their leisure, the football club's revenue increases and it can afford better players who in turn strengthen the team. In cities and towns where football clubs enjoy the solid backing of the local people, a good sporting record contributes to the feel good factor in the area. Can it therefore be concluded that a top club and a prosperous economy go hand in hand or that they exist symbiotically, with each continually working to the benefit of the other?

Should a company looking for a location take more into account than simply rent, infrastructure and the level of skills offered by prospective employees?

The sporting success of an area cannot be the prime consideration in a company's choice of location. In reality, but not always, this is often a purely entrepreneurial decision. However when a firm sets up in a region where sport plays an important role it would be well advised to take the level of sporting performance into account. It may not be easy to convince a company's managing director or accountant of the advantages that a winning team can offer. Yet in terms of "feel good factor", the importance of such advantages cannot be sufficiently stressed. When Ghana won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982, it was seen as the driving force behind the raised morale of an entire nation. The same thing applied when Kotoko won the Africa Clubs Cup in 1971 and 1983.

I am sure the same applied when Hearts of Oak won the CAF Champions League Cup and the Super Cup. And that also applies to every city or town with a winning team, "When your team wins on Sunday, you go to work happy on Monday and you put in more by way of performance", comments a staunch Kotoko supporter.