All it takes is a little professionalism to better our local football

Japhet Muparutsa

Was it 30.000? Was it 18.500?

I dream of a day when at half-time the announcer will tell us ..

"Attendance today at the NSS is 25.000!"

Or "Official figures at BF stadium is 20.000!"

That will be the day Zimbabwe football turns over a new leaf.

The discussion on match day attendances will never go away as long as the exact figures are not given. The easiest way to do this is to have pre-match ticket sales. This must be very easy to arrange.

When we were playing, the issue of matchday attendance also dominated discussions. We knew that a few entry points were reserved for certain officials. They were their cash cows. The money went direct into the pockets of these officials.

As players we used to play in front of a packed Rufaro Stadium. With the amount of money generated, it was possible to make progress for teams like Dynamos and Caps United .

I am sure that with better accountability, these clubs would be owning training grounds, club houses and even stadiums. Unfortunately, this is not the case. With the harsh economic situation now, it is more difficult to build stadiums from gate takings.

But if the leaders had been honest in the 1980 ' s, it would have been possible to make these investments. We all know what Lincoln Mutasa tried to do at Dynamos. He opened a Sports Shop and bought land in Waterfalls. These were tangible investments.

With better accountability of the huge gate takings, however, more could have been done. Unfortunately, this was not the case and unfortunately, the trend continues to date.

Will Dynamos ever own a training Centre? What about Caps United?

To achieve this, the teams need to change how they do their football business. Small things matter and the small matter of matchday attendances must be addressed. If they do so, they will account for every dollar .

This will go a long way in helping the clubs. I want to see our clubs owning assets, this will make me proud. And for all the legends, dead and alive, who have played for these clubs, there is no better legacy than this.

I keep encouraging our clubs to do better- make us proud, change with the times, secure the future.

Japhet Muparutsa is a former Warriors goalkeeper and also played for Dynamos FC, Black Rhinos FC and South Africa Premier League club Bloemfontein Celtic

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