OPINION: How Kyetume FC can learn from Arua Hills governance Model.

How Kyetume Fc can learn from Arua Hills governance Model..

Kyetume FC is financed currently through a model based on what economist call quantitative easing a trend that is not sustainable long term that is Why Arua Hill through it’s board have embarked on match day revenue structure through construction of its Arua Hill Park.

In April, FUFA sent a communication to all the 16 teams that were to participate in the league this season, notifying them of the necessary requirements for every club to be licensed.

By Friday, August 12, 2022, the deadline day, Kyetume Football Club had not uploaded a minimum of 18 players on the FUFA Connect system which manages registration and licensing of players domestically.

A decision that forced the Federation to to halt Kyetume FC’s licensing.

But how did it get here with a club that was on a great trajectory in its second season, Three sponsors, Melbet, Rose Foam, Lugas Petro Stations and Kampala Cement in waiting for the season 2021/22, a well assembled young squad coached under Livingston Mbabazi.

To put this opinion in perspective I try to borrow a leaf from Mr Joels Aita’s Arua Hill Sc team under a fully functional  Board, Executive headed by CEO Anthony Afeti and Former Kyetume FC Head Coach Livinstone Mbabazi.

Eng. Aita is not a football Guru nor a former Pro player but what distinct him is that he truly looks at Football as a business and its envisaged in running of the club, a mind set that separates him from the Chairman at Kyetume FC who came out categorically stating that his merely volunteering to run Kyetume FC as a team that identifies its self with other regions and not to earn from it.(Audio)

Audio Player

Kyetume Football club is not limited by guarantee as per FUFA Club ownership release but rather limited by share holding meaning its meant to make a profit to be distributed amongst its share holding members.

In this current free market enterprise where most ventures have a price, the modern game is expensive to run, a message echoed by the current FUFA president Hon .Eng. Moses Magogo who says football is an expensive sport and it is not feasible for one individual to have all the necessary funds to run a successful football club in Uganda.

So how did Eng Joel Aita walk through this hurdle, we shall look at governance majorly and how he assembled the structure to run Arua Hills SC.

Governance.

Arua Hill Sc right from the Big League had its business intentions clearly explicit by establishing a working Board that is not only functional but posses influence around the modern game both internationally and locally.

Arua Hill SC in searching for its board members it chose Mr Alfonso Villanueva, Moris Kusotera from Spain and United Kingdom respectively both persons have Knowledge in the game and tasked to expose Arua Hill Sc to the European markets and Sofia Wilmot who is well familiar with the Middle East.

Locally Arua Hill SC brought on board Amos Wekesa who is a businessman, entrepreneur and corporate executive with a huge love for sports and Usher Komugisha  who is a multiple award-winning African multimedia sports journalist with over a decade-long experience  among other members to the board.

On the Executive level Arua hill has a functional secretariat headed by CEO Anthony Afeti who in his second year in the UPL has managed to successfully license the club. On the technical side Coach Livingstone Mbabazi through his recruitments and player power pull has managed to assemble a team that contended for a top four finish in its maiden season.

Kyetume FC in its structure is not a community owned team but that does not deprive it from holding community values since its strength and Business model should be centered around the community of Kyetume and Kyaggwe at large.

The Club is reluctant to establish a functional registered board and also maintain an autonomous secretariat a decision that will keep depriving the club from its potential value.

The Club is financed currently through a model based on what we the economist call quantitative easing a method that is not sustainable long term that is Why Arua Hill through its board have embarked on match day revenue structure through construction of its Arua Hill Park an investment that is a business on its own.

Well Kyetume in its current state might not Embark on large scale infrastructure development as Arua Hill Park but it has a home venue that on its own can attract sponsors as Stadium naming rights, Pitch side Ads amongst a few benefits of having an Established home ground.

In terms of Public Relations and Media space, Kyetume FC has been lucking greatly a position that is critical and determines how your image is portrayed in the public domain, Kyetume as of today has not unveiled a PRO or Media Team like its counter part Arua Hill SC.

Financing

Financing has been the biggest challenge in Ugandan Football and Arua Hills SC is no angel in that regard it has moved through different ownership first in 2013 – 2015 under the initial founders of the club Bosco Onama who later transferred its ownership to Counsel Nasur Buga in 2015, the ownership then moved to Challa Siva a General Manager of Gittoe Pharmaceutical due to financial challenges on a 80% stake in 2019 under the names of Doves All Stars FC before Development Infrastructure (DI) in August 2020 bought it and changed the names to Arua Hills SC under the stewardship of Eng Joel Aita.

Unlike Kyetume FC that has hard the same ownership from the regional league till the top flight under the same directors which has put a level of constrain in terms of financing of the club till date.

There are ways a club can solvent its financial woes through a Medium of ESOP(Employee/Fans stock ownership plan) through this mechanism the club can liquidate a percentage of its shares to various stake holders starting with Fans but not limited to Business persons in that region to purchase a stake in the franchise quite similar to a PLC(Public Limited Company) which is more advanced and not in the docket of kyetume FC yet.

The other is to sale majority shares with the 51% rule that comes with fully guaranteeing decision making to the new consortium willing to buy the club. same as Arua hill SC that kept changing ownership till it got a perfect person to take the club to the next level with that rule.

One may argue that why not acquire sponsors or advertisers as seen from different clubs ?

Well for one to advertise with you depends on what you as a club is offering them in return and that is entailed in the back borne of governance which projects confidence to the sponsors something as mentioned earlier is missing at  Kyetume FC.

If Kyetume FC is to survive long term and evades the poor governance problems that have drowned Big teams like Mbale Heroes, Iganga TC, Fire Masters , Masaka LC 5, Mukono United and Saints to name a few it has to establish a functional governance structure as documented in the FUFA Pro Agenda and the board to relinquish Executive privileges to the secretariat and lastly but not least run a club on a salary cap under a defined budget.

As one of my good friend Mark Norman Lumago from Uganda Christian University once said ” What do we know about these things”, This is my opinion  coming from a former Executive with Kyetume FC and its written for the love of the game.

Emmanuel Musinguzi.