Shodunke urges African clubs to adopt the football growth model

Shodunnke Shogo, Executive Director of Phreestyle Sport and Brain behind the African Development Project of AMAPRO, has joined other soccer business experts to ask for a radical change in the way African football is managed and markets.

Shodunnke was one of the panelists of the African Sportsbiz forum in progress in Kigali, Rwanda, where conversations focused on how the sport can be repositioned to contribute significantly to the gross GDP of the continent, GDP.

The two -day summit brought together the interested parties around the world to introduce a new framework for protecting not only athletes and officials, but also investors, while football becomes attractive to the global market.

Shedunnke joined the panel by three other voices in the African football business: Sibiya Nozibusiso, TV and multimedia journalist of Sabc Sport; Engineer Hersi Ally said, president of the African Club Association (ACA); and Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, CEO of Luawa FC.

The panel unpacked the commercial growth of African football with a strong emphasis on sources of income such as the sponsorship of the club, the marketing, the sale of tickets and the rapid growth opportunities within the digital platforms.

They also highlighted the importance of professionalizing administration in leagues and football federations to attract sustained corporate interest.

Shodunnke, while contributing to discussions, emphasized that African clubs should rethink their approach to take advantage of the true commercial power of the game. He pointed out that football in Africa can no longer depend on obsolete income models.

According to him, “African football must begin to function as a business; the passion is there, the talent is there, but until the administrators adopt the global best practices in governance, marketing and experience of fans, the game will remain underutilized as a driver of GDP.”

He advised the club administrators in the continent to adopt innovation and professionalism, emphasizing that clubs must aggressively diversify income flows beyond the door collections and government support, and added that marketing, digital participation and corporate sponsorships were key levers for growth.

Shodunnke also asked the leagues and clubs to invest in structures that protect the players, create investors and ensure that sport is positioned as a competitive product worldwide. He argued that without strong institutions and responsibility, opportunities in African football would remain largely without exploiting.

The panelists agreed that if African football adopts these reforms, it will not only strengthen its commercial base but also create jobs, it promotes youth development and significantly boost the GDP of several nations throughout the continent.

The 2025 African Sportsbiz forum continues in Kigali with more sessions that are expected to address governance, innovation, legal framework and sustainable financing in African football.

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