What happened to the Highlanders Funeral Plan plan?

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The Highlanders Football Club legends coined a innovative idea after analysing the market and took advantage of the need to provide decent burial to former players.

This positive initiative by and for people who have played and/or worked for Highlanders Football Club, FHPA (Former Highlanders Players Association) meant the protection of the team's legacy and success, catering for former players, technical team members, medical stuff and officials.

Former forceful goal scorer, Zenzo Zemura Moyo, chaired the meeting that elected elected Tito Paketh as the Chairman, Rahman Gumbo as Vic Chairman and Netsayi Super Moyo the Secretary General. The Treasurer was Collsen Mabeza with Marko Tundu Dube elected the Committee Member.

Netsayi Moyo emphasised that FHPA would not run the club, but would keep former players together and closely watching each other because “we have had some of us passing away and receiving a pauper’s burial".

With the slogan 'We are Bosso Legends Nothing Else Matters', Super said the Legends envisaged keeping constant contact with each other and the club, and giving support to team with a base of qualified coaches as well as competent football administrators.

The idea, meant to utilise a wide membership base, was a great strategy to harness the brand potential for current and former playersin terms of a well-branded funeral and medical plans, to the same line of the Kaizer Chiefs Funeral Plans.

As a vehicle to manipulate and capitalise on a growing interest, it was a step in the right direction. The growth and expansion of this would hinge on marketing. Simple marketing strategies of word of mouth and social media provided cost-effective means to maximise returns for the benefit of Bosso.

The issue of revenue always attracted diverse opinions. Some would infringe on the constitution of the club. This was not one of them. 

Since those days, the Club entered into an agreement with a supermarket chain, Buscod to pay staff. The Inscor Group also donated a percentage of their bread sales to the club. Both situations are not enough to take the club’s finances out of the murky waters.

Over the years, sale of memorabilia injected a small steady stream of income. Fake prints were the thorny part. With the sea of black and white T-shirts and umbrellas, only a small percentage would be genuine Bosso material and many people did not care.

There has been suggestions of getting the 4000 registered members to pay US$5 monthly to raise US$20 000 for the upkeep of players. It was thought that if the same number actually paid US$50, the US$1 500 000 would fit the annual budget of the club.

Bosso supporters can do much better. It is high time things and attitudes changed, if taking the serious step you are about to read will be a success. The assumption is that if the 30 000 football loving BF crowd would pay a similar annual fee at the start of the season a certain amount of cash would be raised.

Usually, people want to pay for something. One cannot be sure about how buying or building a Highlanders Stadium at the Club House will generate revenue, as many think. Of course in the long term, but Bosso needs solution now to get there.

The perception is that the Club House itself underutilised. For that reason, wild suggestions of selling the property have flown but that is being mischievous.

Highlanders must entrust individuals and companies to brand and market such products at a profit to both parties. The selfish notion of refusing to let people benefit from such, is the very reason for stunted finances. 

Like in football analysis, let us look at this point. If a man can make USD5 000 000 and pockets USD 2 500 000, it is a win-win situation and it is a sweet business plan for the individual involved. Think Bosso, think.

From the book; "What Highlanders Need Right Now! currently available on www.amazon.com as an e-book, Kindle version and paperback for $0.99 limited promotion. Keutsepilemang Ndebele is a former Highlanders Football Club Technical Advisor (2001).