Why Nigerian clubs must build fan-base to drive sports growth

Sports analysts and stakeholders have proffered solutions to growing clubs’ economy and visibility at the continental and international level.

Many sports enthusiasts who spoke at the Businessday inaugural Sports Conference 2025 identified low fan base, lack of technocrat administrators and inadequate funding as clogs on wheel of sports growth in the country.

Mozez Praiz, Supersport sportscaster speaking at the event said that Nigerian clubs must begin to build their fan base in order to grow their economy.

“To grow a club, the ideal thing is to start with building the fan base, and to achieve this, there is need to give the fans a sense of ownership.

“Until we fix the disconnect between the club managers and the fans, we will continue to struggle. Club managers should take seriously how they brand their persons,” he said.

Praiz explained that one of the ways clubs can build their fans base is through the social media and ideal branding that depict what the club stands for.

According to the television host/sportscaster, social media will give clubs visibility beyond the shores of the country and help attract supporters.

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He cited clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea, clubs based in Europe but have many fans even in Nigeria, a feat he said is made possible via television and social media.

Seun Fakorede, ex- commissioner of youth and sports in Oyo State emphasised that the fundamental problem facing sports business growth in Nigeria is lack of intentional action to develop sports by governments.

Fakorede frowned at the ways and manner many Nigerian fans go about supporting clubs, which he described as exploitive instead of supportive.

They applauded Kunle Soname, the owner of Remo Stars, describing him as one with understanding of what it takes to manage a club successfully.

The club’s trajectory from FC Dender to Remo Stars FC, and their promotion to the Nigeria National League, and then the Nigeria Premier Football League shows a club on the rise, with a growing fan base.

Praiz emphasised that it is lack of understanding of the business of sports that make politicians to appoint anyone that pleases them as a club chairman.

“Club chairmanship is given as a political compensation as against professionalism. Most of the club administrators don’t have blue prints on how to grow the clubs,” he said.

Emeka Enyadike, director at Digital Sports, Africa said sports is a massive industry, one that generates billions of dollars.

“The global sponsorship was pegged at I think about $73 billion in 2022 and it was projected to rise to $150 billion in 2032, in about 10 years. Just one year, in 2023, it had crossed $100 billion,” he said.

Enyadike said that digital transformation is having impact on fan engagement and changing the narratives in the contemporary era.

He explained that when a club fails to have its games on TV, or broadcast on other platforms, such as YouTube, FaceBook, and other social media, you won’t be able to get the incomes that come from the usage.

However, he said for clubs to optimise the benefits of digital transformation, they must first build the platforms.

“Today, these social platforms bring people much closer, they bring you much closer to the fans. We need to invest there, because social media is cooking, and there is only one instance, which means that when you wake up from sleep and you are a fan of Twitter stars, the idea that the majority of the people in Nigeria support one team or another in England is not by accident,” he noted.