SPORTS WORLD: Sponsorship; Aggressive and professional managements needed for progress of sport

Race with the time and environment is the key to success in any field of life, hence it is the duty of professional managers to perform to their full potentials to achieve positive results -- the much needed sponsorships for the promotion of sports and welfare of sportsmen.
Since professionalism is linked with the commercialisation, lame excuses create doubts about the professional capabilities of those who manage the organisation they represent.
To get sponsorship in sports is a ticklish job and it requires highly professional marketing managers to attract big business houses, trade and industry.
Unfortunately, in this part of the world sports controlling bodies have failed to acquire the services of highly qualified marketing managers with proven salesmanship qualities.
The growing popularity of the game of cricket and its glamour the world over attracted big business houses to sponsor international events to popularise their products.
Way back in early 1980, it was former Secretary of the then Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP) Arif Ali Khan Abbasi, who felt the importance of sponsorship of domestic as well as home series against visiting teams.
He, however, persuaded a number of national and multinational companies to play their role in the promotion of the game.
Luckily, the Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) was the first to agree to Abbasi's suggestion and sponsored domestic one-day tournament - the Will Cup -- and signed a long-term deal with the BCCP on the patron of Benson and Hedges Cup.
Later, the PTC sponsored the entire national and even regional tournaments and home Test and one-day series. Not only this, the PTC also patronised local cricket tournaments in the country.
The BCCP-PTC deal has given tremendous boost to commercialisation of the game, paving the way for others like Pepsi Cola International and banks, to follow.
As a result, every young cricketer struggled to improve his fitness, mental toughness and polish his game in the hope of getting a job in a bank, Pakistan International Airlines and other commercial organisation as professional cricketer to earn his bread and butter.
ENGLAND SERIES: Untill recently, the PCB ad hoc administration was struggling to get sponsorship for the forthcoming home series against England.
One wonders that though the game, which attracts big crowds in the stadia and has vast coverage over electronic media, still needs marketing of such a mega event months before the start of the series.
It simply shows the lack of professionalism of those who are responsible for getting sponsorship, marketing and selling TV rights.
Had these highly paid managers and directors in the PCB gone through the International Cricket Council (ICC) calendar of international events, they could have finalised the deal much earlier.
It seems the PCB ad hoc administrators have no time to give serious thoughts to this important issue, as their priority is to prolong the ad hoc set-up and remain glued to the Cricket Board for long.
PROFESSIONAL SALESMANSHIP: Unlike cricket, squash and hockey, lacking in professional marketing managers, could get sponsorships only on event-to-event basis, hence the financial constraint was inevitable.
Shortage of funds in these two games and even in cricket, no academy on the patron of MRF Pace Foundation, sponsored by MRF Group of Industries in India, was established with a view to coaching and grooming budding players at grassroots level.
Since the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Pakistan were rated among top countries in sports like squash, hockey and cricket.
Right from the days of Hashim Khan and Roshan Khan till the exit of Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan, Pakistan ruled the squash world for no less than three decades, followed by successes in hockey, snatching Olympic crown from India, who ruled hockey world for over 28 years.
Despite mismanagement at top level in the games controlling bodies, squash, cricket and to some extent hockey continued to produce world class players.
There are no two opinions that individuals have brought laurels to the nation and the country with their sole efforts.
Though the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) is striving to fill the gap created by Jahangir and Jansher, lack of infrastructure facilities, including dearth of good quality squash courts due to paucity of funds has marred the process of grooming talents, which is in abundance in the country.
Unlike cricket, which is being played on the streets in big cities and in open spaces in villages, squash is played in the courts, restricting the game to a few individuals.
PSF PLANS:
Realising the shortage of the squash complex in Karachi, PSF's Senior Vice-President Air Marshal Raashid Kalim has announced plans to construct Sindh's first public squash complex.
It is believed that the Rs 15 million project, to be completed in 11 months, would not only be good enough to host major national level tournaments, but would also provide opportunities to the local talents to polish their game for international contests.
Air Marshal Kalim said that once completed, the complex, which would be of international standard, would be run by the Sindh Squash Association (SSA).
The PSF Senior Vice-President said that the SSA should now start planning a list of activities like holding of training camps and tournaments, and added the PSF would support the association but only if it fulfilled its role and work for the promotion of the game in the province.
Announcing the gigantic project, the PSF Senior Vice-President did not throw light from where the funds will come. It is believed that the PSF will finance this project from its own resources.
JAHANGIR KHAN'S PLAN:
It may be recalled that a few years back, squash legend Jahangir Khan has announced setting up a squash academy in Karachi with the facility of boarding and lodging.
According to his plan, he would start a countrywide talent-hunt scheme and the selected youth would not only be provided coaching, but would also be provided quality education at the academy.
On the occasion, a prominent businessman of Karachi has announced quite a good handsome amount as donation to meet the initial expanses of the academy. Besides, some other businessmen also promised to extend financial support to the academy.
But Jahangir Khan's plans could not materialise for reasons best known to him.
FOOTBALL:
While in squash, hockey and cricket all is not lost and Pakistan are trying hard to make their presence felt at international level, the situation in the poor man's game football is very pathetic and the lovers of these two games are waiting for the day when some one would come forward and promote these games on commercial lines.
Not long ago, the then Liver Brothers ventured to promote soccer in the country and offered millions of rupees' sponsorship to organise football tournaments at regional and national level.
Thanks to infight, power politics and intrigues in the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), they withdrew their offer after a couple of years.
Even the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) has also pumped millions of dollars in the PFF coffer and provided coaches to train young soccer players in the country, but incompetent and no-professional PFF management could not cash in on the FIFA support and the game could not take off.
Now whatever football is being played in the country and tournaments are is due to the sole efforts of game crazy organisers.
The fact is that the talent is there, the urge is there and even the sponsors are there, but what is needed most is selfless and dedicated professional management to promote the game on modern scientific lines.