Growth in Participation: effects of Sponsorship.

Three great brands.

Growth is measured in many ways, such as, the increase in the number of clubs, the increase in Registered Players, the increase in participation, and the improvement of standards (administrative, technical, playing).

Here I will be look growth in participation in MSSA’s Provincial and National Championships due to sponsorship.

When it comes to growth, it is always difficult to look back, and with 20/20 vision, isolate and identify the causes of such growth as there are so many factors that affect growth patterns.

Political instability, the national economy, sponsorships, vision, ‘buy-in’, administration, and so forth, are just some of thee factors that affect growth.

Let’s face it, South Africans have been through a hard time. There are few families that are untouched by the effects of crime, the economic meltdown, and the negativity that seems to surround the government over its mismanagement issues.

Yet through all this chaos and insecurity, Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) delivers from one year to the next.

MSSA's year-on-year
growth over the past
five years.

On reviewing the numbers on the right, it will immediately become apparent that MSSA is a growing organisation. Not only is MSSA already the largest membership based gaming organisation in South Africa, but it is continuing to grow at rates that outstrip inflation and population growth rates.

There is no doubt that sponsorships play a part in fuelling growth, especially when they are done on the basis of a partnership and mutual trust and accountability. Thus the MWEB sponsorship obtained in 2013 (which lasted for three years) seems to have directly helped boost the levels of participation dramatically over the 2012 year.

But growth is only good if it can be sustained.

It is therefore quite pleasing to note that the growth rates in participation at MSSA’s Championships were just over 18% for both 2014 and 2015. When it is realised that the growth is measured over the previous year, the 18% is even more spectacular.

The impetus provided by both TULUNTULU and BOO! Surprising Media Solutions no doubt were partly responsible for the massive increase in participation of over 77%. Certainly, I can attest that such sponsorships enthused all administrators and participants alike.

However, it should be noted that in 2016 MSSA showed a 1% increase.

2016 was a hard year for MSSA with many Management Board members becoming distracted. Yet it was in 2016 that many of the foundations were put in place for 2017. It was many of such decisions made in 2016 that made 2017 as successful as it was.


Certainly, from a company point of view, these growth rates are more than acceptable.