One of the hot topics that invariably any sporting body faces at various stages is the issue of funding. Unless that organisation has a relationship with a benefactor or a commercial infrastructure to generate financial return then it has to rely on outside sources, be it the government, MOC or commercial entities for its support. The hot word on many an agenda is another word starting with a big S… Sponsorship

The subject of sponsorships should be analysed in the context of the prevailing local economical situation. It is to be accepted that if the economy is booming there would be willingness by the business community to spend more money on advertising and vie for increased exposure.

Unfortunately not everyone understands the basic concept of advertising and mistakenly many business people tend to spend money on advertising when the going is good and curb on the same expenditure when there is a slow down in the economy. Ironically it should be the other way round although marketing support ought to remain in force, albeit possibly to a lesser degree or for a different objective (e.g. maintaining brand/product awareness) when the business is booming.

For example, ‘Does it make sense to spend money on increasing brand/product exposure when your business is reeling in good sales or would it make more sense to spend money to increase the exposure opportunities when your sales are facing a slow down thus heightening the possibilities of more people seeing your brand or product and opting for it as opposed to your competitors? Common sense should dictate for the latter option but then it is postulated that common sense is not so common at all.

The crux of comprehending the scenario of sponsorships is to understand that collectively there is only so much money being pumped into marketing budgets in any economy. As such sports, charities, religious or political organisations, NGO’s, band clubs etc are all eating away from the same pot. To make matters more complex, in one area alone such as sports, you may well have the MOC, the national federation or discipline’s national association, clubs as well as individual athletes tapping into the same sources for sponsorships.

The further new initiatives come on board (e.g. new TV programmes, printed media, new activities, fairs etc) the more aggravated and competitive the sourcing of sponsorships becomes as the new opportunities create additional channels for advertising to flow through which then compete with sponsorships. Therefore unless new economic drivers enter the economy or there is an evident increase in budgetary expenditure, the pot will practically remain the same and the end result is that certain initiatives are sacrificed in lieu of newer or more promising ones.

Associations and federations should also analyse the audience figures of their activities and devise plans to increase these as a way of strengthening their negotiating power when dealing with sponsors. Indirectly, this will enable clubs to become more competitive and strengthen their ranks by producing great performing material which will then enable them in their sponsorship endeavours as they could lay claim to such athletes on their books.

There are companies that are loyal and would seek to build long term relationships with clubs if they are convinced of long term potential. It may well turn out to be a less expensive venture for them in fact and they could well ride the bandwagon eventually when such athletes reach their peak in later years.

Media plays an important part and as such ways of feeding information to them is vital, a function of PR personnel and which would come into play when proof and statistics need to be produced to prove to potential sponsors of their coverage.

Competition will always remain and that is fact and reality. One cannot expect the MOC or a national federation/association for example to pull away from seeking financial support or themselves to support clubs’ activities.

Clubs should be financially independent and generate their own means of income. On the other hand, as the main driving force of the economy, the government’s duty is to pump money into the national governing sports organisation as well as new projects or those launched by the private sector (or possibly in partnership with) together with fiscal incentives or similar such as was the case with a particular lottery in the past.

The facilities, if developed properly could be offered to the commercial sector against payment for them to hold their own sports/social activities of that particular nature, benefiting the discipline by its added practice e.g. employees sports day or a commercial athletics league where companies compete against each other. The latter could present relationship development opportunities with the association which may in turn produce added revenue streams and more competitive athletic material.

It is such co-operation with Malta’s national sporting bodies that the government should explore where resources and expertise can be exploited and productive synergies of immense potential in various forms may be achieved. In such a scenario everyone stands to benefit be it the government through sports tourism, the national associations through availability of high level international athletes, sparring partners to local sportspeople and ultimately enhancing Malta’s tourism image and product; not least also the influx of foreign money into our economy generated through ancillary services such as accommodation, car rental, restaurant business, entertainment, TV rights plus free PR in foreign media etc.

The same for swimming... the Tal-Qroqq pool, particularly its location, right within the university complex could itself have a similar facility where foreign students could be accommodated whilst at the same time using the pool against payment. This could greatly help the Swimming Association to then attract a top coach to its fold for the benefit of local youngsters. His engagement could in turn be used to market our facility overseas or some twinning arrangement with other foreign universities be established.

How much longer do we have to wait to rear a swimming prodigy from an island blessed with sun and water all year round? Angela Galea’s commitment and personal sacrifice in the last 10 years have proved that we have what it takes to develop in the right direction. Her gold medal victory in the last GSSE was a progressive and visionary prospect which could only have been realised thanks to the facility we have, never mind the challenges Galea faced when the pool was out of use only months prior to the Andorra Games. Athletes alone cannot do miracles.

The availability of foreign athletes could present a platform for local associations and clubs to benefit from through cross cultural experiences and a very much needed international competitive dimension for their athletes.

A vision of a healthy active population, jogging, sailing, swimming, playing tennis, football, basketball, volleyball… well, whatever the sport, is not an impossibility to realise. Indeed it’s not easy either and a shift in approach and fresh ideas are required to translate this into reality. The road is not short but every step is a move forward towards getting there one day... we need to believe!

If we do not drive home the importance of an active lifestyle in our population then we will have a long uphill struggle.

Education is the basis of this mentality and the offspring of such a nurtured attitude will bear witness to this philosophy. Its benefits in turn will be a haven of healthy, fresh, lovely active crime-less society not only in physical senses but also psychologically; a place one would desire to visit to experience health and beauty in much the same way that Melbourne, the next Commonwealth Games host is perceived, where sports is very much a way of living.

Dream on one might argue... great achievements are the product of one’s dreams I would retort and the drive, attitude, commitment and perseverance to realise that dream. Somewhere there is a start.

MOC Sports Awards 2005

Sport has a powerful role to play; through our athletes’ attempts, successes and dedication they inspire and show our society how important practicing sport is.

To celebrate our athletes’ achievements and to truly acknowledge their dedication, the Malta Olympic Committee will be acknowledging our athletes at the gala Sports Awards Presentation Night, which is scheduled to take place on thursday at the Dolmen Resort Hotel, St. Paul’s Bay, and will be broadcast at 10.15pm, on Education22 Channel