Challenges Faced by the Zimbabwe Football Association on Securing Corporate Sponsorship

The aim of this study was to investigate the challenges being faced by the Zimbabwe Football Association in its quest to secure corporate sponsorship. This study adopted a qualitative methodology, utilizing the case study as the research design which guided the generation of relevant data. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were used to collect data from senior and middle management personnel at the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) and the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC). Data was also collected from football coaches and football fans using questionnaires and some was extracted from relevant ZIFA documents. A total of 45 study respondents were purposively sampled for data collection. The study established that the Zimbabwe Football Association faced a myriad of challenges in sourcing corporate sponsorship. These included negative publicity, socio-economic challenges, ineffective marketing strategies, poorly qualified administrative personnel as well as maladministration or poor corporate governance issues. The study also established that these challenges can be overcome by inter alia engaging appropriately qualified personnel, engaging relevant ministries, improving marketing strategies and corporate governance issues.