EDITORIAL: TFF should leverage league’s top ranking

The Tanzania Premier League is currently considered one of the very best in Africa and among the top 40 leagues globally. This is a feat that should not be taken lightly by any means; in fact, it is surprising that it has not made the front page news of the country’s leading sports newspapers.

When the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) released its 2022 ranking of the best football leagues in the world, it was not expected that Tanzania would be ranked quite highly. In fact, the NBC Premier League can boastfully walk among the world’s heavyweights and actually not feel out of place or like the odd one out.

When put into proper perspective, Tanzania’s ranking is even more impressive. In Africa, the Mainland Premier League is ranked 5th, behind Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Sudan. What this means is that the Tanzanian league is actually the best in sub-Saharan Africa.

It is ahead of some of the continent’s most popular leagues, such as South Africa, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia. In East Africa, no other league can even come close to the prominence and appeal that Tanzania’s league has garnered over the years.

Globally, Tanzania is ranked 39. This is still a very impressive performance considering that there are more than 100 football leagues in the world.

However, despite this very positive ranking, how can Tanzania turn the growing global recognition into something more meaningful for the league? The IFFHS index should not just end on paper; it needs to translate on a more tangible level in order for it to truly mean something.

The proverbial ball is in the government’s court now. Through the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), they need to start strategizing how to turn this positive PR into endorsements that will not only lead to the development of the state of football in the country, but the funds will actually trickle down to the players.

High rankings often attract big endorsements. The big companies want to associate themselves with excellence. This means that the Mainland Premier League stands a chance to attract multinational corporations to advertise with local teams.

Learning from the best

European leagues are making billions of dollars just by selling television rights to league matches. Such lucrative deals did not just happen overnight, it was a result of good marketing which ensured that the prominence of their leagues is known worldwide. The English Premier League (EPL) is perhaps the master of marketing. The league is known all around the world, and its top teams are among the richest globally. This has been made possible by marketing themselves beyond their borders; they have loyal fans across the world.

The same success story of the EPL and La Liga can happen in Tanzania. But it will take a lot of effort for this to become a reality. We need to be more intentional and have well-curated plans that will ensure the sustainability of the league.

So far, we are on the right footing and are thus getting the recognition that we so rightly deserve. But it should go beyond that; we need to start cashing in on the popularity of the NBC Premier League, headlined by the country’s two biggest clubs, Yanga and Simba.