The changing nature of the game dictates that clubs should get a share of gate collections, Falcons patron John Ssimbwa has suggested.
“Nowadays clubs invest a lot of money in the game so you shouldn’t expect them to sit back and watch,” Ssimbwa said. Falcons, the country’s most successful club, spent Shs72m on signing Stephen Omony last year and recently forked out another Shs50m to secure the services of lethal point-guard Ivan Enabu.
“It’s the players who make things happen,” the passionate basketball administrator noted. “I think they deserve a share of the gate collections.”
Money collected from the gates is usually used by the sport’s governing body, Fuba, to run the league.
And despite the increased number of fans, Fuba are still challenged financially. Fuba president Ambrose Tashobya revealed recently they ended last year in debts of close to Shs15m. The association are also still indebted to referees, who handled games last season. With their delicate financial situation, it’s not clear whether Fuba will agree to Falcons and other clubs’ demands to share the gate collections.
“It’s something we are considering,” Fuba assistant general secretary Joseph Manano said yesterday. “Clubs getting money at the gate may be complicated. What we could do is allocate them tickets.”