So, I took time to get a sense of what our five professional teams in Limpopo are doing to keep their fans and clients posted on the happenings in their clubs. Football clubs and sport bodies need to align and realign themselves with the ever changing world of technology, now more than ever, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, which in all likelihood will be with us for a while to come.
Baroka, Black Leopards, Polokwane City, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila and Sekhukhune United are responsible for the hopes and entertainment of many Limpopo football lovers, but they leave a lot to be desired about how they engage with their followers in these ‘new-normal’ times.
Let’s start with Baroka, whose website still has Dylan Kerr as their head coach, who left them 2 clubs ago. Their Facebook page has over 20 000 followers, but was last updated in January 2020. Twitter seems to be Baroka’s biggest active and interactive social media platform with more than 138 000 followers. With just over 8 500 followers Baroka’s latest Instagram post was in 2019.
Black Leopards’ website looks like an abandoned home whose owner seldom visits. Their Facebook page with a following of close to 53 000 last posted on 1 March this year. Their last tweet was on 10 April as I write this a week and 1 day later, and nothing much is happening with over 15 500 followers on Instagram.
Polokwane City is one of the most amateur-run professional clubs I have ever seen in living memory. Their website was last updated in August 2018. Their Facebook page with a following of over 16 000 had its last post in September 2018. With more than 102 000 followers on twitter, their latest tweet was in September 2018, and whoever managed their social media platforms last used their Instagram account in 2018.
TTM’s website is an imaginary one as it doesn’t exist and the less said about their social media presence, or in this case the lack of it, the better. There is a lot of work to be done at TTM, a lot of work.
Sekhukhune United barely has a website, but at least its Facebook page is active and seems up to date with more than 22 000 followers. Babina Noko’s twitter account is active and up to date with close to 6 000 followers, while over 8 000 followers are constantly kept updated of the latest developments within the team on its Instagram account.
These teams have Chief Executive Officers and General Managers, but it’s not my place to say whether they are at work or just fooling around.
