The difference between the poor and the rich is the way they see. The poor see obstacles in anything they do and usually do not take positive actions, while the rich see opportunity in everything they do, even while having fun they become richer.
A poor football fan may not want to go to the stadium to see a game if the gate fee is high or increased, but the rich will prefer to pay extra to sit at the VIP side.
The VIP side
Come to think of it, the VIP side and the popular side look so similar in some stadium, so some people wonder why they should pay extra money to sit at the VIP. Perhaps, you may not know the difference. The VIP side hosts the people that make money with football, while the popular side hosts the people that spend money to support football clubs and watch their games. The high price attached to the VIP side is a gimmick to scare the masses.
The irony is, most of the real VIPs do not pay to sit at the VIP side. They are people well known in the football world. Apart from government functionaries, other people that sit at the VIP side are football administrators, Club owners, Ex-football stars, Sponsors, Agents/ Consultants, Media owners, Bookmakers and some rich folks who knows how to take advantage of every situation. The discussion at the VIP side is usually different. They discuss more on the business side of the sport. The rich make business connections and get business ideas at the VIP side.
Make money as the Club you support win
Have you seen some of these rich folks who enjoy horse racing? While having fun with their sport, they make lots of money by betting on their favorite horse to win the race. So when the horse win, they win money too. That’s wise! It makes more sense to support with all your emotions when you have a stake in the outcome of the game. The rich don’t waste time on anything that doesn’t make them richer.
It’s not gambling, it’s putting your money where your heart is. Win with your club or loss with your club. When the players collect match bonus for winning a game, you’ll also collect supporting bonus for winning the bet.
Now, I do not subscribe to street betting that usually result to deadly street fights. There is more decent way to bet. There are usually bookmakers at the stadium, especially at the VIP side. There are online bookmakers such as Richard Flint’s Sky betting and Gaming or Ross Mc-Eacharn’s Watch and Bet. You can bet in most international games from any part of the world. Football betting is becoming popular and you can find a bookmaker around your country. Marcelo Torndez from Mexico won $300,000 dollars in March 2009 and $700,000 dollars in November 2010 betting with Watch and Bet online.
Invest in the Club you Support
The rich have a stake in the club they support. They buy shares of the club and try to influence decisions on how the club is managed – What players or coaches to buy when the transfer market window opens. They also share dividends during Annual General Meetings (AGM).
You could make lots of dividends investing in properly run championship clubs such as Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, Arsenal etc. Real Madrid football club’s earning per share increase by 20% from September 2010. And the club’s net worth is now over US $2.8 billion dollars.
Invest in SMS Short code Match Alert
You can get fans to subscribe to your SMS short code alert to sell your favorite club information to them. You can send alerts to fans with real time match information as the game is going on – who scored the goal and how he scored the goal, match statistics etc. You can also use your short code to send quiz to fans for certain amount of credit. Remember you’ll also have to send winners their prizes, so you have to provide for it.
It’s a very lucrative business. Segun Olusoya owner of KickoffTime.com said he has one million football fans in Nigeria subscribe to his SMS short code Alert for Premiership games. He charges them N100 Naira credit for 12 alerts that is, N10 Naira per alert and 2 bonus alerts. He makes N100 million Naira per month.
According to Segun, Match alerts pay more than quiz or lottery because you do not need to pay prizes to winners. Match alert is easy to operate. While you’re watching the game in the stadium or on cable television, all you need to do is to plug into your online software to send bulk SMS to your subscribers. He usually sends about four SMS per match.
Organize a Fans Club into a Cooperative
Another way the rich make money is by saving cost through the organization of the Fans into a cooperative to purchase club goods and souvenirs on a discounted price. They could even get the fans to enter into other line of businesses that they have interest in.
The Chairman of the Nigeria national team (Super Eagles), Engineer Ladipo, organized the supporters club to buy Boxers motorcycle bike at discounted hire purchase scheme for his members.
There is lots of money to be made while supporting clubs that is doing well such as Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Chelsea. You could share in the millions they make even as a fan. Organize a fans club and get the club to sponsor your promotional projects in Africa. It’s all about coming up with a laudable idea. Choose any of the big games to lynch your campaign. Today in Nigeria, we have fan clubs of European clubs.
You can create your own niche by supporting local Nigerian clubs that is doing well too. Start a fans club from where you are and come up with good idea that can sell, then you find sponsors to bank roll your ideas too. Watch out for the club’s big games and take advantage of them. You can get the fans to buy the club’s jersey and other souvenirs you can provide.
In Nigeria, a lot of things are allowed. You can take advantage of viewing centers to sell your favorite club merchandize to other fans. We have a lot of china adulterated souvenirs you can order and sell for profit on a big match day.
