HOW TO START A FOOTBALL VIEWING CENTER BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

Football viewing centers have been around in the country for as long as the sport has been known to be televised. It is something that has really become popular and an easy way to make some cool amount of money. It’s a business that doesn’t really need much as it is in very high demand depending on the area where you’re located and you’re definitely sure to get customers and make profits whenever you start especially when big games or games between clubs with a large fan base have a game. The viewing center has been known for years now and people still visit them today to watch their favorite clubs.

Football is a really popular sport in the country. It is the country’s main sport game and is the most watched in not only the country but also around the world. A football viewing center offers football fans with the chance to watch their favorite clubs play live together with other football fans for a very affordable price. You get to watch variety of football games at a viewing center, most especially the popular ones, and that’s definitely the ones that bring in the most profits for business owners who start the business. That’s not to say that it’s only lucrative when popular football clubs are playing because viewing centers are always packed with fans of clubs playing regardless of the time and popularity of the game.

In Nigeria today, live matches from popular leagues like the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, The UEFA Champions League and others are not televised on local television stations and as such you need to get a platform that will help you get to watch it. You can either stream the game which might end up taking a huge amount of data or you can choose to get platforms like DSTV and GoTV, which are the most popular ones in Nigeria today, to be able to watch them. But even with that, you still might not get to watch it especially with the light problem and the fact that the subscription might be costly sometimes. With viewing centers, there is really not an issue. There is a TV, decoder and a generator to help with the light problem.

This makes it a good option for people to go and watch their football games. Also, even people who have the facilities to watch the games at home still come to viewing centers because of the atmosphere that comes with watching with other football fans unlike sitting alone at home watching the game. The atmosphere and crowd of football fans is one of the reasons people go and you’re definitely going to get customers based of the popularity of the sport and also that football seems to bring people together to watch a game.

One of the main advantages of starting the business is of course, the demand for places such as viewing centers and the love for the sport  it cannot be stressed enough how much people love football and how much they’re willing to dedicate their time and money in getting to watch their favorite teams play. You’re sure to have a packed viewing center on weekends when people want to watch football especially if you’re in an area where there was previously no viewing center and people there are keen to love such an idea to have a viewing center around.

Another thing is that it can be a part time business. Most football games are played on weekends and even the ones played during the week days usually come in the night, so you can go about setting up the viewing center and also go about your daily routine or job schedule without one interfering with the other. The cost of starting is also not expensive, making it a really good business option for individuals who want to start a business.

Starting the business is not really a hard thing to do and infact, is actually a bit easy when compared with many other businesses. It doesn’t really require much, just like I’ve mentioned, and can be started with a little amount of capital. No experience, special skills or educational qualifications is needed to be able to start the business. This means it can be started by almost anyone as long as you are ready for what the business entails and you’re also ready to stay committed to the work. Football fan or not, it can still be started by anyone regardless, as long as they know what they’re doing.

In the next sub heads I’ll be discussing the steps involved in starting a viewing center business in Nigeria and some of the factors that might prove important during the course of running the business and also to ensure that you’re successful at what you’re doing and you also make profits.

1. RESEARCH

No matter what you’ve heard someone saying about a business and how well success is assured or how lucrative it would turn out, always try to do your own research. The research will not cost anything except your time and that time will prove to be well spent when the business starts and the successes starts coming in. It is important to do a thorough investigation about the business since you’re going to be investing your money into it and you’ve never been involved in the business. Some hours of research won’t hurt.

The research is always meant to give you an idea of what to expect and the challenges ahead to be faced. It teaches future entrepreneur how the business works and what success means. It shows the risks involved and the ways to tackle them. It also gives ideas on how to sustain the business and work towards more success. Imagine missing out on any of the mentioned points, it’s more like being less equipped about something especially something you plan to spend money on.

There are experts in the business, of course, so also look to advise from these individuals as they are most likely the best bet for reliable information on the business. Take note of even the smallest things during the research period and pay close attention to how to stay and survive in the business. The research is as important as anything in the business.

2. CAPITAL AND LOCATION

Capital is always very important to the start of any business and the relevance and benefits it brings to a business cannot be stressed enough. The capital for this business is usually not expensive. It doesn’t require too much work or things at all. One of the things and perhaps, the part that takes a major part of your budget is the location. You’ll need to get a space, small or large, depending on the number of guests or customers you’re expecting to the viewing center. The available capital will help you determine this. A little amount of money means you’ll be getting a small place for the business and vice versa. When getting the location, ensure there are no other viewing centers in the area and if there are, they have to be really far from wherever you locate yours. Also, ensure that the place is not hard to get and the people around are inclined to footballing activities.

3. GETTING READY

This is the stage where you get other things needed for the business asides the location. You’ll need chairs or benches where customers can sit. The major things needed include the TV sets, which can be more than one depending on your capital and how big your shop or tent is, a DSTV decoder as they show majority of the matches unlike other platforms, and a generator set to solve issues relating to power outage. Without these three things, there won’t even be a viewing center at all. You might also need to get a standing fan. The more comfortable your place is, the more customers, even new ones, come in.

4. YOU’RE GOOD TO START

Next thing is to have a board displaying football matches to be shown at your viewing center and also telling people about the place. Word of mouth and referrals are pretty useful here and they will certainly ensure you get more customers.

The business is not a stressful one to start and doesn’t require professional experience to start. It can simply be started by anyone. Your location will be really important in determining how successful you’ll be at the business. Set up in a good place and also without competitors and you’ll have almost no issues running the business and getting customers.