On the eve of the NBL finals between the Namuwongo Blazers and the City Oilers, the NBL Committee secretary, Sam Lukaire, revealed that the ticket prices had been increased. This decision has caused a lot of debate and many people are wondering, why the sudden increase. In this article, we shall delve into this issue.

Is the increase okay?

The ticket prices were increased from 10,000 to 15,000 Uganda shillings for ordinary. The VIP will pay 30,000. Well, if we are to grow the sport, teams have to make as much money as possible. I don’t think that increase is significant. However, there are issues with the increase and we shall get into them a little later.

At the moment, the league is run by the NBL committee. If anyone should complain, the fans should tell their teams and that complaint can be lodged. However, do teams have fans? I don’t think so. Many people just come to watch the game and that’s it. They don’t sport any team. By support, I mean buying team merchandise, following their pages and activities, contributing in monetary and kind etc.

That means that the teams have limited sources of income and if they have an opportunity to maximise the finals, then so be it. They can make as much money from these games and hopefully that money will be reinvested in the league.

Now, making the money is not the issues but how and when. The league has a number of gaps and that’s is why some of the people complain about the increase in the prices.

No value for money

Throughout the season, people have been paying 10,000. What has changed? Is it just because it’s the finals? If you think about it, there is no value for money. With the exception that it is the finals, nothing has changed. The chairs will be dirty, as usual. The toilets, despite there being an improvement from the previous seasons, still have issues. In case you have a running stomach, never think about watching a basketball game at Lugogo. The atmosphere is still the same, basically nothing changes. A person will ask, why is there an increase and the league will find it hard to justify the increment.

Lack of marketing

The league has also not been intentional on marketing. If you are to think about, there’s not much out there that’s talking about the NBL finals. The markting arm is none existent and if it had been functioning, perhaps they would tell the people why the increase and what the money will do for the league. Remember, fans are crucial stakeholders in the game. If they are brought on board and everyone is at par, there wouldn’t be a push back.

Milking one cow

Still on the marketing debate, the job they have done throughout has not only been poor but none existent. There have been very many games which could have attracted numerous fans. Think about it, had the 15k been introduced during the semi-finals, maybe more money would have been made and the fans would have gotten used. But no. they waited for the finals.

During the regular season, the Namuwongo Blazers and City Oilers games made the most money. The other games that could have made some money, particularly, Rezlife vs City oilers and Rezlife Namuwongo Blazers in the second round were not maximized. That may not be entirely on the hands of the league but they would have been more involved and made these games be on the big stage at the right time.

There have also been other games which could have made money for the league but they never push. This then means that they will focus on just one fixture and you can’t keep milking just one cow.

Call for the fans

Whatever the price, this is a very big finals and each and every person deserves to watch the games in person. The tension and excitement are things to look out for and these memories are priceless. I urge all fans to come through and support their teams.

Game one tips of on Wednesday 5th August at the Lugogo Idoor Arena.