Football Viewing Center Business In Nigeria: How To Start IN 2022

Are you a guy who’s interested in starting a football viewing center business in Nigeria? Be rest assured you’re the right place.

My name is Lanre,  a football viewing center business owner in Nigeria.

I have been in this business for more than 5 years now. I actually started this business as a side hustle and thankfully it’s has been one of best decision I have made in my life.

Make sure you read every single sentence to the end to really understand this business. And I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.

Remember they’re based on my experience as football viewing center business owner.

Without wasting your time, let get right into why you’re here.

HOW TO START A FOOTBALL VIEWING CENTER BUSINESS | STEP BY STEP GUIDE.

1. Management skill.

I own three viewing  centers. But the third is more like a bar than a viewing center. I just add extra ₦20 to my drinks on match days. ₦30 less than that of my competitors. This strategy is called penetration pricing strategy and I learnt it after failing to learn how to properly manage my first business.

See, in my case, I learnt the hard way. That’s why I can tell you boldly that you’re very lucky to be here.

Leveraging this business will make you an entrepreneur; and if you want to be a successful entrepreneur (business owner) you must possess a good management skill. Of course the average football ball viewing center business seem not to be needing extra hand(s) to manage but that’s something you shouldn’t count on.

This business, Just like the barbershop business , the internet cafe , shoe Line business and other businesses out there is one that’s open to expansion if well-managed you.  Just like me, you can also decide to open another branch elsewhere for someone else to run on your behalf. And that’s how you make good money.

Management has to do with the organization and coordination of the activities of a business in order to achieve defined objectives.

In essence, you need to know how to organise and coordinate to be successful when you start a football viewing center business of your own.

If you have no business management knowledge at all,  seek one by going for a training or read books.

2. Get a b usiness plan.

You must have heard of the terms business plan before, but if not, now you know.

You need a good business plan. It’s like a direction to where you’re going to and why you need to work hard to get there. Make sure you get one either by writing it down yourself or by hiring a freelancer.

Having and following a business plan will help you go along way.

3. Location (Rent a good location)

The talk about getting a good location is basically no news when starting a business. Because it’s a must for most business if not all.
You need a place where customers can come to patronize you and that’s location in simple words.

Get a good well spaced and ventilated area for your business. It could be a shop or a field. The most important thing is that It should be where your target audience are.
If you’re lucky to find a well spaced shop that can contain at least 80 individuals, that’s fine. But if not, you may need to settle for an open field.

Note that capacity is a key success factor in the football viewing center business. The more people you can accommodate the more money you will make .

However, I believe it’s worth mentioning that you may have to rent two to three shops if convinced the area is perfect for the business.

What I am trying to let you know is this, let’s say you found the right place for the viewing center business right now. But unfortunately the single shop isn’t too big to accommodate your desired capacity of individuals. All you have to do is contact the agent or owner of the complex and let them know of your intention which is this I would like to rent shop(s) 1 2 & 3 or 8 9 & 10 etc and break the demarcation between them for my football viewing business. Simple and short.

It’s what most people do. So don’t be afraid to approach shop owners for such when you find the right location for the business. Good luck!

Read Also : Beginners guide to starting a successful groundnut farming business in Nigeria

THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE CHOOSING A FOOTBALL VIEWING CENTER BUSINESS LOCATION.

• Population [The more the better]

Population is the amount of people living in a geographical area. Make sure the area is well populated with a higher percentage or amount of youths living or gracing the area.

This is why…

We have a lot of sport lovers, but the majority of people coming out to see their favorite team play is or are the youths. In essence, they/these (youths) are your target audience. So consider the amount of individuals (youths) in that area before choosing the place for your football viewing center business.

• Competitors (the fewer the better)

You should know that in this business, your major competitors are those who are into the football viewing center business around the geographical area you intend to site yours.

To hit the ground running immediately, make sure to consider the amount of other functioning viewing centers at the area and their capacity. I would recommend going for a place with no/zero centers around. But if you must settle for a place with competitors, make sure they are not more than 2 viewing centers in the area before settling there. Like I stated earlier the fewer the better.

• Prices

In the introductory part of this article I mentioned that the price for an average football viewing center is ₦100, which is very true. However I have seen and been to a viewing center where ₦50 was collected.

But this is the difference based on my personal experience …

During my research on prices, I went to a viewing center at half time (which is after the first 45mins of the game) I was asked to pay ₦50 – that’s for a center collecting ₦100 for full time.

But when I went at halftime to the center collecting ₦50 for full-time, I was still asked to pay ₦50.

The point is, prices differs based on location. Therefore before you set your price, make sure you are well aware of the pricing strategy (full time & half time) adopted by your competitors.

Don’t just open a viewing center and start charging ₦100 for a game when others are collecting ₦70 or ₦50. Nobody or very few individuals will patronize you. Which isn’t good in this line of business. Your price(s) should be competitive. It should be one customers won’t have to leave your viewing center for the one at the other street because it’s cheaper.

• Another thing to consider is the sex or gender of the individuals living in that area. Males patronizes viewing centers most. So the more males in the geographical area the better.

• Lastly, you can consider the profile of individuals living in the area you want to site the viewing center. Unlike searching for a place for your cyber cafe business , this point isn’t one you should prioritize in this line of business. Just make sure the individuals can afford your service.

4. Buy necessary equipment

All of the equipment or materials you’ll need to start a football viewing center business have been discussed below.

Make sure you check it out.

5. Set it up (furnish your place)

In a few words, to set up your shop or place is to make sure all the necessary materials / equipments are in it and are well arranged.

Set up phase 1… (field)

Let’s say you opted to settle for a field as your viewing center. All you have to do to set it up is call a carpenter to help with a thing or two to make sure it’s perfect to show matches. But you will have to bring the rest valuable equipments like televisions and decoders to the center only on match days because they won’t be safe there due to little or no security. Forget not to get trampoline(s) to cover or protect your place from rain.

Phase 2… (shop)

Unlike being located on the field, setting up a shop for your football viewing center is relatively easy. All there is to do is get the necessary furniture (shelves tables etc) where your television set and decoder(s) will be placed or positioned.

You should also make sure the rooftops, ceiling are intact to avoid leakage. Also see to it (shop) beautifying by painting it using a nice colour paint.

You can also

6. Promote your business.

• You can create more awareness for your product via word of mouth. Tell everyone who cares to listen about you viewing center.
• Another method is by leveraging all social media platforms. Post about your business on your facebook, twitter, instagram and the likes. Create a facebook page and post dates and time of upcoming matches to keep your followers in the know or updated.
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EQUIPMENTS NEEDED TO START A FOOTBALL VIEWING CENTER

• Television(s)

I would recommend two – big – flat screen – coloured televisions with good graphics (HD). A new television with good graphics and sound makes the match more enjoyable. But if you’re working on a tighter budget, you can actually get fairly used televisions with the above qualities. If well priced or bargained, you can purchase them for ₦40 – 50k (42 inches).

Another alternative to getting televisions is to locate a television engineer or repairer to help you get one having stated your preferences. Or follow you to the store you intend to purchase the t.v to help you check them out. Just to make sure they are in good conditions.

• Decoder & subscription.

Based on experience, the recommended decoder(s) for this business is the Dstv & Gotv decoder(s).

Dstv and Gotv lost the right to air carabao cup & Emirates F.A cup matches as the time I am writing this post but it’s something they will work on in the next season (this is me being optimistic). Gotv airs all Seria A and La – Liga matches as well as Dstv.

That is anytime a good Seria A match or La – Liga match is going on, you’ve got that covered with the Gotv. While you can trust the Dstv to cover the ever exciting premier league, champions league, French league etc.
In summary. Just make sure you’re able to show two or more different matches at the same time. For example, let’s say Arsenal Vs Chelsea kicks off at 3pm and the match between Man Utd Vs Man city is also at the same time; you should be able to show the two matches to satisfy your customers because it’s what I will be expecting if I’m at your viewing center.

• Chairs and benches (for sitting)

It’s advisable you go for (purchase) wooden chairs. Chairs are more comfortable for sitting compared to benches and also more expensive. Not forgetting wood is stronger than plastic or rubber.

However, if you’re working on a tighter budget, all you have do is contact a carpenter to help you construct good benches. A single bench should be able to accommodate five (5) individuals and since you’re targeting at least 100 individuals, 15-20 wooden benches will be just fine for a start.

• Air conditioners – standing / ceiling fan.

The primary purpose of the above is for cooling people and making them feel comfortable. They are side effects of excess heat to individuals health wise. So it’s something you should work on because your customers should mean everything to you.
Personally I would recommend the use of air conditioners and ceiling fan together; sound odd right? But trust me, it works just well.

However if you’re starting your football viewing center on a small budget, you can adopt the use of standing or ceiling fans. Just make sure your customers are comfortable by working on ventilation.

• Uninterrupted power supply. [U. P. S]

There was a day a viewer angrily stoned me because of power failure. I had a generator standby already for power failure. And I am just sure knew that. But because the dstv loading time could be frustrating, he did what was in his mind.

But thankfully, it was shop rite bread he threw at me. That’s because it was what he had on him.  If he had Stone trust me he would have done the same thing. A gun would have been easier.

See people get angry, do best your no to let them pour it all on you.

And to avoid such, you need to be prepared, no body will stone when they know the decoder didn’t go off it’s just the TV.

For those who don’t know this already, the purpose of having a UPS is to make sure your decoder(s) and television(s) are running In power failure situations.

If you’re in Nigeria, you should be familiar with power failure… so to avoid surprises that will leave your customers disappointed, make sure you have a good UPS that can keep both your decoder(s) and television(s) Up and running until you power your backup power supply (generator).

This will enable your customers not miss a single glimpse of the football match and will also make them happy and satisfied.

If you can’t afford a UPS that will keep your television and decoders running all at once, that’s understandable. Just make sure you get a UPS that can keep your decoders running to avoid the long reboot process after you must have powered on your backup supply.

• Generator

A generator is a must have if you want to run a football viewing center in Nigeria. This is because of the current power supply issues. With this issue in the know, you therefore need a backup power supply and a good generator will do the job. Unless if you have the cash to install a solar power.

• White board / Black board .

For a white board, you’ll need a marker while a chalk will do for a black board. Whichever you choose to use is fine as long as it serves it’s primarily purpose. And perhaps you’re wondering, the primary purpose of this is to write upcoming matches to keep your customers updated.

The board can also be used to advertise.
This is how to go about it…
Instead of writing the fixtures the normal way for example Arsenal Vs Man city 3pm, Man Utd Vs Chelsea 5pm etc. You can put it this way instead:
February 24 2022

Catch
Arsenal Vs Man city 3pm
Man Utd Vs Chelsea 5pm
Live
@ Shop 2 gospel road opposite entlifeonline gas station.
You can use the word WATCH instead CATCH – whichever pleases you and put it at a road side.

• Other necessary equipments are

Electric power stabilizer,

Air freshener

speaker(s)

Bulbs,

wires/ cables,

Extension sockets

Refrigerator (optional),

Coolers,

Tickets etc .

Profit potential in starting a football viewing center business

As at the time I’m writing this content, I charge football viewing center ₦100 per game in my football viewing center Nigeria. Cheap right? I thought so too. Now imagine owning a well spaced and ventilated center like mine with a capacity of over 100 Individuals ready to pay ₦100 for a game.

Let’s do some math here…

₦100(per game) x 120 individuals is ₦12,000.

That’s the amount realised for showing only one game to just 120 viewers at your center.

How about showing 2-3 games to same or more amount of people at different times that same day? Isn’t the future bright doing this business? However, I would leave that to you to calculate.

Moving forward…

Read Also : All you need to start a fashion design business

Congrats for coming this far.
Now let’s proceed to the next chapter

HOW TO EARN EXTRA INCOME RUNNING A FOOTBALL VIEWING CENTER BUSINESS.

• Game center .

There’s a special connection between football lovers/fans and or with games. When there’s no match to show, you can convert the football viewing center to a game center. Make sure you have available the latest game consoles like playstation 5, 4 & 3 or Xbox with latest installed games like the FIFA 19 & 18, Pro evolution soccer (PES) etc.

• Food/Drinks

Put up for sale snacks and soft drinks for interested customers to buy. Make sure the drinks are chilled or cold. If you don’t have a refrigerator, you can buy cold blocks for a little fee.

Put the blocks into a decent sized rubber or cooler, add some water and your drinks into the rubber then cover up. In no time the drinks will be just the way we all like it. Chilled.

Others include

• Opening a barbecue joint
• Ice cream Stand.
• Shawarma business stand.

BENEFITS OF STARTING A FOOTBALL VIEWING CENTER BUSINESS .
It creates employment
The business is profitable
Promotes peace
Reduces unemployment
It can serve as an alternative source of income.

CHALLENGES OF A FOOTBALL VIEWING CENTER BUSINESS IN 2022.

Lack of customers at the introductory stage of the business.
Cost or capital to start the business
Poor service or connections
Lack of power supply
Expenses – money spent on generator maintenance, fuel, subscription, transportation etc.

SUMMARY ON STARTING A LUCRATIVE  FOOTBALL VIEWING CENTER BUSINESS IN 2022.

• Get a good location or shop with your target audience in mind
• Furnish your shop
• Buy the necessary equipments like televisions decoders chairs etc
• Register your business if necessary by contacting your union.
• Manage your business well.

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• Most profitable sewing business ideas to leverage in 2022

Note: In a situation whereby you have to forfeit one game for the sake of another and some customers are not really OK with it, make sure you patronize the voting idea. i.e if you want me to show match “A” raise your hand… That’s what I am talking about.

Recommended For You

• If you want to know the hot and fast selling product in Nigeria today, click here.
• Football viewing center business is one of those businesses you can start with 100k at hand, for others you can open with the same amount click here

Final words.

Sport and football to be precise is 90% business and 10% entertainment. That’s the simple truth. Tap from this ever-growing lucrative business world and open your own football viewing center business in Nigeria today.

P.S for other lucrative business ideas, click here