GEORGE TOWN – Apart from on-pitch performance, it is important for Penang Football Club to also have a commercially-appealing strategy.
The gargantuan task has fallen to Liverpool loyalist Jeffrey Chew Gim Eam, who wants to elevate the commercial fortunes of Penang by imitating his beloved Premier League club.
“It starts with regrowing the fan base,” said Chew, who is also the Penang FC general manager in an interview recently.
He recalled that in the 1970s-1980s, the City Stadium in Datuk Keramat had the “Keramat Roar” which intimidated the opposition and spurred the likes of stalwarts such as the late Isa Bakar and midfield general Shukor Salleh to put on gutsy displays here.
“Singapore had the Kallang Roar. Penang had their Keramat Roar. We were rivals to the core but today, sports are no longer the same.”
“The stadium was full to the brim back then but granted that those days, football was the staple entertainment unlike now in the digital age.”
The young generation are now wired up to online gaming and virtual reality games so they cannot be easily drawn to the physicality part of football, said Chew.
He hopes Penang can change this – the club plans to work with schools whereby its star players would be visiting public and private schools to generate awareness about the FC.
To make football more appealing here, Chew said that he wants to make the club as financially independent as possible instead of just depending on subsidies from the government or private sector coffers.
“How are the foreign clubs managed? They are financially viable. We too can do it.”
Last year, they managed to reduce losses and this year, Chew is aiming for the same.
He has begun working on a commercial masterplan for the FC.
Firstly, there would be innovative sales of tickets from those holding season passes to daily tickets for the matches.
“Those with season passes would be entitled to many fringe benefits.”
Secondly, Penang FC will tie up with hotels in the northern region.
He named the Grand Orient and Iconic Hotels, as among those the club has secured close ties with, and there is room for improvement in branding the FC with tourism.
“We also welcome tourists to come and watch our matches. The commercial aspect of the club needs attention as in the end, the sport and its players would benefit if the club is in a better financial standing,” said Chew.
The club has also tied up with giant online e-shopping provider Shopee to sell merchandise of the club online, namely the jerseys of its players.
The club’s headquarters in Komtar would also be refurbished to allow supporters a place to unwind and to catch up on the club’s latest, said Chew.
He said that the commercial appeal of the club can help weather the backlash, especially when the players are unable to perform on the pitch due to various factors.
“Football, just like life, can be uncertain. Our players may get injured and so on forth. But if we have a good marketing plan in place, we can weather the storm,” he said.
Now, Chew has his work cut out as the club is sitting at the foot of the table.
The hiring of former national player Zainul Abidin Hassan may just be the right tonic to take the team up the table, he said – The Vibes, June 20, 2022.
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