Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture says it is planning to hike hiring out fees and the percentage share it gets from Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe and Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre to meet rising maintenance costs. The ministry’s spokesperson Macmillan Mwale confirmed the move in an interview yesterday, but said the actual figures will be determined after consultations with all stakeholders, including Football Currently, just like the teams, the ministry gets at least 25 percent of the net collection from elite matches, FAM gets 10 percent while Malawi National Council of Sports receives five percent. The standard fee of hiring out BNS for any event is at K18 million while Kamuzu Stadium is pegged at K7 million.
Said Mwale: “We are currently working on a proposal that we will take up with our various stakeholders. “So, there isn’t much we can give out in terms of figures because we are still in the planning stage. The figure will be determined by the outcome of the consultations, but the plan is to effect the reviewed charges this year.” He said they are not only looking at the costs of elite football matches, but other events in general such as hiring out the facilities for religious activities and meetings, among others.
“There are also people who use the stadiums for exercises and social football. So, all these will be factored in and once we agree with our stakeholders, we will take it up further with the Ministry of Finance for ratification,” said Mwale. On why the ministry wants to hike the charges when clubs already complain of getting too little from gate revenue proceeds, he said: “Things have gone up and what we get is far less than what we spend on maintaining these facilities.
[paywall]
“We want to ensure that we provide quality services, otherwise maintaining the facilities is becoming a strain.” FCB Nyasa Bullets and Mighty Wanderers use Kamuzu Stadium as their home ground. And reacting to the development, Bullets acting chief executive officer (CEO) Albert Chigiga said: “Since the revised costs are not yet out, it is only fair for us to wait in order to comment on an informed basis.” On the other hand, Wanderers CEO Panganeni Ndovi said: “As a club, we appreciate that an upward adjustment in usage and hiring fees is, to some extent, expected given the rising costs associated with the maintenance and upkeep of national sports facilities such as Kamuzu Stadium. “However, any proposed increase must be commensurate with and clearly reflective of the quality, consistency and range of services provided at these facilities. User fees should correspond to tangible improvements in pitch quality, safety standards, player amenities, spectator facilities and overall match-day operations.”
[/paywall]
