Kyrgyzstan – Kazakhstan (LIVE STREAM)

And it is the key because the primary objective of this special program of FIFA football development is to help its member associations to become more efficient, accountable and self-sustaining, and specifically for you. Through Performance, FIFA assesses how a federation operates from an organizational point of view and trade, in order to set priorities for improving their functioning and to guide you in the process of improving the working methods.

As the FIFA adopts new reforms to improve governance throughout the footballing community, the Performance program acquires a special significance.

Take, for example, in Kyrgyzstan, a country with a population of about six million people, whose football association, the FFKR, was not founded until 1992. He joined FIFA two years later, and enrolled in the Performance initiative in 2013 when FIFA experts accompanied the organization in a comprehensive review of its procedures and relationships with their stakeholders.

“When I entered the FFKR in 2015, I could hardly understand how much things had improved in just a few years. Joined in an organization that knew how to be operational, “said the Secretary General of the FKKR Dastanbek Konokbaev. The mere fact that the post I now occupy was created is the result of this professionalisation. There is a plan and a roadmap to perform.”

From the initial evaluation in 2013, the FFKR has made great strides, has established a new organizational structure and has developed long-term plans for technical development and financial management. With the help of advisers and counselors, in April 2014 a division of Marketing and Communications was created, he hired a qualified director and sponsorship strategy was developed. The initiative did not take long to bear fruit.

Since June 2014, the revenue generated FFKR unprecedented amount of $ 362,000, which means a huge difference for a small member association.

“Much of this income ($ 156,000) comes from television and advertising rights associated with qualifiers (for the World Cup ™). Therefore, it is money that depends on the draws for competitions and future campaigns the team, “explains Konokbaev. “Nevertheless, we must note that these revenues would not exist without a department of professional and proactive marketing.”

“On the other hand, is very encouraging attend the spectacular growth of income, such as from sponsorship, ticket sales and corporate hospitality. This is a direct result of the orientation of Performance on marketing issues, as these income sources did not exist before at all. ”

A virtuous circle
However, the complete formula is not limited to inbound direct money. A federation to help manage their operations more professionally increases the growth potential of football and made more accessible and successful in that country. This increases the popularity of sport and therefore commercialization. It is a virtuous circle of popularity and revenue generation.

“This is one of the most important points: the popularity it has acquired football in Kyrgyzstan since managed in a more structured way,” says Konokbaev. “This is confirmed by a market study we conducted in November 2015 with the help of Performance program.”

However, in addition to the study results, achievements are quantifiable, for the first time the federal government of Kyrgyzstan has dedicated part of its budget for sports, totaling $ 400,000, to help financially to the FFKR.

The Performance program is available to all the 209 member associations of FIFA, and it now includes more than 100, from more established federations, with very specific activities (such as a development project leadership in Denmark or strategic help departments French overseas), to complete organizational changes as in the example of Kyrgyzstan, and others such as Oman and Tanzania.

“The Performance program, ultimately, is dedicated to providing support to member associations to develop their own capacities for football management and plan their own development path to success,” says the Director of FIFA Development for Africa, Zelkifli Ngoufonja. “The ultimate goal is to reduce the gap between the richest nations and developing nations. We have seen concrete results in this regard. These are achievements that promote lasting change. ”