Why Nigerian Players Lack Sponsorship

“I get discouraged to play or hit hard with my racket for fear of getting it re-stringed. The truth is that I’m struggling to survive and don’t have anyone to help me with another racket.”

That was the submission of a Nigerian tennis player (name withheld) on why she has been unable to play the game to the best of her ability.

Over the past few decades, lack of sponsorship has been unanimously pointed as the major challenge facing the development of the sport in the country.

Little wonder Nigeria will not be at the Olympics in the coming weeks as the International Olympic Committee, IOC has limited participation to top 100 tennis players in the world, a feat no Nigerian player is yet to achieve.

“I think the situation of things in this country is a major reason these players do not get sponsors. There is corruption everywhere and I must confess to you, sponsors won’t want to commit their funds to where they will not get an added value,” said a national wheelchair tennis coach, Frank Termena.

The loss of interest in the sport as a money-spinning investment may yet prove another big obstacle for these players to get sponsorship as the country’s number one female tennis player, Abinu Fatima submits.

“These sponsors look at what they’ll get in return because they won’t be plunging their hard earned money into an investment that will yield no particular interest.

“In foreign countries, those top players we see are either advertising a brand or wearing the kits of their sponsors but in this part of the world, we are yet to have such things,” Abinu said.

The body responsible for the development of the game in the country, the Nigerian Tennis Federation, NTF has obviously been fighting tooth and nail to get sponsorship for these players but the result of its effort is yet to fully materialise.

But Nigeria’s number one male player, Abdul-Mumuni Babalola obviously thinks that the authorities are the ones preventing them from getting sponsors.

“Maybe our leaders are not helping issues because they know how much we strive to make it to the top and we often expect them to help us get sponsorship. At times, these sponsors think about what the officials will gain, which will eat deep into the sponsorship funds for an event,” he noted.

If the players have been trying their best to hit to make it to the top, then they have to try even harder as their poor performances also seem like one of the challenges standing between them and the sponsors.

According to the non-playing Davis Cup captain, Rotimi Akinloye, “sponsors will only want to associate with quality products and as far as I’m concerned, we don’t have that in our players. If we look at the ATP rankings, how many of our players are among the best in Africa? They are lowly ranked in both the senior or the junior categories.

“It’s only in Nigeria that we beg for sponsorship. In other parts of the world, sponsors beg the players to wear their kits so that they will be popular.”

Akinloye thought that coaching and the playing standard of the players should be improved in the country so that in no distant future, the sponsors will be running after our players.

“I think the quality of coaching should be improved, developmental programme should be put in place for the upcoming players. There should also be a forum to sensitise sponsors so that they will know why they need to identify with these players.”

If the racquet game must develop in Nigeria like in any other countries, the sponsors must take the centre stage as that is the only way these players’ trumpets can be blown whether within the country or outside.

These players need help to become world-class materials by getting assistance to play circuits outside the country. Nigerian tennis has to be rebranded to attract corporate sponsorship for its development.

—Damilare Okunola