The African Sports Centre for Data, Research and Technology (ASC) has announced its maiden sport summit, AfroSport, slated for August 11, 2022 in Ghana’s capital city, Accra.
As an African sports gathering connecting science and business, AfroSport will bring together major stakeholders on the continent and beyond to share, network, discuss, and facilitate business and investments, among others.
Features of the one-day event include a conference, industry talks, an expo, and a networking session, with clubs, federations, business entities, academia, athletes, coaches, and the media expected to grace this occasion.
ASC CEO, Prince Narkortu Teye, said the Center has been working tirelessly to improve sports on the continent through science and innovation. He highlighted the power of partnerships in realizing this dream on the continent.
“We have been championing the use of science and innovation for the development of sport in Africa over the years, particularly through research and data. Our hope has been that our works lead to measurable direct and indirect gains in business and development for sport on the continent.
“We believe in the power of partnership, which is why we are joining forces with other key stakeholders to bring the sport industry to a central point for a day of progressive engagements to boost development in Africa”.
Prince Narkortu Teye
The upcoming sports conference in Accra will focus on several areas in the sports industry, some of which include education and science for sport development, innovation strategies in sport, betting, corporate investment in sport, and the exploitation of data, research, and technology in sport.
The African Sports Centre for Data, Research and Technology disclosed that the first list of what will be an esteemed group of speakers at AfroSport is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
ASC’s recent webinars on African sport
AfroSport is an elevation of the ASC’s recent webinars on African sport, which featured the likes of Johan Cruyff Institute online learning manager, Lukas Dorda, Observatory for Sport in Scotland chief executive officer, David Ferguson, and GOAL Africa general manager, Zarina Bahdur.
Other round-table speakers at the webinars were StarTimes Ghana general manager, Akofa Djankui Banson, CEO of Asante Kotoko SC, Nana Yaw Amponsah, and Young African (Yanga) SC CEO, Senzo Mbatha.
During the Webinars, Lukas Dorda and Nana Yaw Amponsah encouraged Ghanaian and African football clubs to harness data and research in their quests to position themselves better in the market and increase revenue.
The two men stoke extensively at the African Sports Centre’s webinar on “Consumer behaviour, preferences and revenue opportunities”, which sought to further explore findings of the ASC’s annual Ghana Premier League Report.
The GPL Report, last edition published in October 2021, is a business intelligence survey report which provides insights into Interest and Awareness, Patronage and Consumption, Commerce on Ghana’s elite domestic league.
Mr. Amponsah said data has become a key part of their decision making at Asante Kotoko SC, two-time African champions.
“One of the first things that I sought to do with my management was to institute the Fabulous Census Project, and for a year now, together with the National Circles Council, we have been working hard on the FCP which seeks to register Kotoko supporters into a central database. It is one of the reasons why the sponsors have bought into our philosophy and they’re coming on board”.
Nana Yaw Amponsah
From his experience at his research firm, ASC Founder and CEO, Prince Narkortu Teye indicated that there is little exploitation of data and research in sports in the country. He said many people have not come to the realization that sport is a business.
Mr. Teye encouraged club owners and administers to also employ the same approach used to maximize profits as a business by constantly researching the industry to aid informed decisions.
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