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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter

DYNAMOS are set to embark on an ambitious membership drive that could see them generate funds from their huge fan base.

The Glamour Boys, who are the country’s best-supported club, have failed to tap into the commercial opportunities presented by the huge number of their fans.

Club chairman, Isaiah Mupfurutsa, yesterday told The Herald they had enlisted the services of a consultant who is busy setting up the systems to give their programmes a good start.

He said they were going to make use of the existing supporters chapters, and national executive, to mobilise the recruitment exercise.

“Work is currently underway, we have a consultant who is working on the systems,’’ he said.

“I could have given more details but the logistics on how things will be done and stuff, are some of the things that the consultant is working on.

“Membership drive is one of the many things, we are seized with, as a club.

“We already have some vibrant supporters’ chapters and they will play a key role in this exercise.

“Obviously, this is something that requires strong use of ITC and I can say it’s all at advanced stages.

“The membership drive is not going to be restricted to Zimbabwe. We have many Zimbabwean across the borders, so, we haven’t forgotten about our Diaspora family.

“This membership drive is important because we need to engage the supporters and the club.

“Members need to have first-hand information of what is happening in the club.

“We would want the fans to claim ownership of the club by playing a part in the club’s activities.’’

DeMbare believe the move will help bring back fans back to the stadia.

The Harare banker revealed Dynamos are planning to roll out electronic privilege cards for their members for identity and ease of transactions.

DeMbare are borrowing from initiatives around the world where commercialisation has become a key driver for competitiveness and survival.

The Glamour Boys are desperate to shed off their dark past, which was characterised by chaos, and leadership squabbles.

They have since created a separate marketing department which will be responsible for driving the fan engagement, with sponsors and also the club’s corporate social activities.

“Most of the things will be happening on the electronic platforms, so we will be working with a number of stakeholders in that regard,’’ he said.

“We want a situation where members go online, at the click of a button, or just need to show up and produce their card and they will be able to access the whole range of the products, and services, on offer.

“There are a number of benefits of being a member because we are going to come up with various packages and discounts.

“It will be easier for the registered member to buy replicas, pay for their tickets in advance, even for the whole season.

“Members can interact with the club from wherever they are online, they can place orders on the online shop, currently in the pipeline.

“We are going to bring in more merchandise. Remember, we unveiled the club t-shirts, sometime before the lockdown.

“Very soon, we will be launching the playing kits and the accompanying replica jerseys which we are importing.’’

DeMbare are looking to reclaim their space on the social media platforms.

The Harare giants believe they have been fleeced of income-generating opportunities by fraudsters who pounced on their brand.

“There are many sites on the internet that purport to be the official Dynamos pages, there is confusion on social media,’’ he said.

“It all goes back to the issue of protection of rights, which we are currently working on.

“Dynamos should be benefiting from its brand, just like many other clubs world-wide.

“But, here, we have a situation where dodgy characters are using the brand name to their own benefit.

“They have been selling replicas for years and some of them made a killing.

“Others have created online sites and are getting adverts, which pay them handsomely, at the expense of the real owners of the brand.

“In short, what we are saying is, football must be the winner at the end of the day. It’s difficult for our football to grow when big institutions like Dynamos, CAPS United and Highlanders are struggling.’’