Are you a football fan? If so, you need to capitalize on your passion.
Kenyans love soccer. Not just Kenyans but Africans in general. We love the blues, gunners and so many others. We wish we could be present in some of these football matches, but as much as we like football, most people still cannot afford to subscribe to DSTV and watch the matches from the comfort of their homes.
The only option is usually to go to bars. But there are a lot of people who don’t like going to bars either.
Just imagine you own a football viewing center that has a sitting capacity of 500 and for each football match, your customers pay Ksh.30 to Ksh.50 per match. Multiply that 50 shillings by 500 and you will have a whopping Sh.25,000 per match. Multiply this by 3 since Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United games are the most likely to be full. What do you have? Ksh.75,000 on a weekend.
In a month, you will have close to Ksh.300,000. The only costs are the DSTV subscription fees and the rent space which shouldn’t eat a lot in the estates as compared to town.
It’s a business with huge potential yet people have ignored it.
*Look for Suitable Space for Your Football Viewing Center*
The greatest challenge of setting up a football viewing center is space. Those who have the opportunity of space have an edge over others. If you have such a space, all you need is to set it up adequately, primarily to shelter match viewers.
Planks and trampoline are better options, depending on the number of viewers you anticipate. However, the viewing center must be adjustable or open enough to contain viewers. Trampoline serves this purpose because it could be adjusted whenever the need arises. For instance, the adjust helps you to roll down the curtains when it’s raining, or when you want people who did not pay not see what is going on.
On the other hand, using planks to set the center up saves you the trouble of having to adjust when it’s raining, or making any of the changes due to weather. But you have to create enough windows and alternate doors. It will enable ventilation and relaxation.
*Wooden Bench:* Is a choice of seat that will last long, plastic chairs get broken easily. So make the benches long enough and provide fans (standing or ceiling) to enable a cooler atmosphere.
*Gaming Center:* Best matches don’t come on daily basis. It will therefore augment your earning if you add a gaming station to your facility, where people will come and play PS games of their choice.
*Blackboard:* It is another tool that you need; it will help you to advertise your viewing center; when you write match fixtures and their times, it helps fans not miss out on any, knowing exactly when it will kick off.
*Get Good Televisions*
The second step to take after acquiring a place and setting it up is to purchase TV set. Multiple TVs enable you to give viewers alternate matches. For instance, there could be three important matches at a go, and a crowd of fans divided according to their teams.
Multi TVs will serve every team supporting group their own match and will enable each one to see the matches wherever he is seated.
*Buy DSTV Decoders Or Any Other*
Dstv decoder is the most ideal in this kind of deal since it has TV right over popular league matches. Aljazeera sports offers reliable alternative but it seems to have been discontinued, find out. These two match providers are what you need to get started.
*Get TV Subscription According to Your Need*
Dstv has the TV right over most of the leagues:
Champions league
Spanish La liga
English Premiership
Italian Seria A
French Ligue 1
etc.
The total subscription sum of the bouquet that covers all the league will cost you about Ksh.8,000 monthly or less, but it’s worth it. People always look for places where they could watch matches uninterruptedly, and that will result in them sticking with you.
*Buy Standby Generator*
One other way to make people stick with you is by providing alternative to power supply, in case the usual thing happens, (power failure) you will keep the match going uninterruptedly with your backup plans. UPS also helps to keep the TVs from going off while you are trying to restore power.
*After getting all set up, make sure you follow these management tips;*
a. Get a blackboard or notice board outside your football center to write out all upcoming matches for the day.
b. Have someone to maintain order. Football viewing can turn chaotic at times.
c. Treat your customers with respect. Customers are the backbone of every business! Be friendly to your customers. They are the sole reason you are still in business. Treat them with respect, and try to build personal relationships with them.
As a final note, if you are currently unemployed, you could try out this business. It doesn’t require much capital to start and it’s very easy to manage, if you know what you are doing.
Written By
Timothy Angwenyi
Business Consultant