Why ‘Futbol Aruba’ is back with a new mission – a commentary
The new football season in Aruba is about to kick-off and ‘Futbol Aruba’ (a foundation for improving football) is also back, aiming to connect the footballer of “the king of sports” with the public and the football fans in particular.
After a hiatus of two years Futbol Aruba is back with the purpose of promoting the sport, to help it recover its soul, reach the highest level and win the hearts of the public.
In a much more competitive world of sports than ever, where other sports are also striving hard to capture the attention of the public, and I have to admit that some other sports on the island did build a small edge on the “king of sports”, an edge that may have come down to ‘branding’, the image of the sport. We have work to do in this competitive realm, in a world that more and more depends on the social-tech media with so many different ways to reach and gain the attention of the public at large, interaction is crucial.
Nowadays, local football has more participation, there is also more information with visual sources available than in the past, that is good! we made progress, but that was exactly the reason why Futbol Aruba was founded a decade ago. In that time with lack of information, Futbol Aruba showed, in a good way, the football governing entity how to better provide information to the public, connecting the main protagonist of the sport, the player, with the fans.
Football Aruba challenged and added some pressure on the organizing body of that time to improve the “modus operandi”, leading by example, on how to be more effective, despite some negative reactions. We showed the way on how to keep an effective website, with media and other visual presentation, to provide match results and keep tables and statistics in a timely fashion, but primarily to focus the attention on the football player itself, the main protagonist in this story and to reward them with recognition for their achievements and the entertainment they provided to us.
In the last years despite many more activities and a better organizational structure in the sport, the football atmosphere is feeling a bit mechanic or even somewhat monotonous, we may have lost the soul of football along the way. Futbol Aruba would like to help improve that and help the general cause of the sport.
Raymbert Bikker and Davyne Croes, together with other volunteers re-started the work of the foundation. The main objective this time, is to help create a positive environment, an exciting atmosphere around local football, for the connection with the public, to help the ‘king of sports’ compete for the attention it deserves, that connection is necessary for the future participation in the sport by the younger generation. All of us involved in the many roles in football need to work together, as well as assist the Football Association, for this common goal.
Football is regarded as the biggest sport on the planet, there is more football coverage in the media than all the other sports combined. The World Cup and the Champions League are the most followed sport events around the world, that is great for us, but it’s still an exterior event. To resonate and succeed locally is something different, it requires local branding, on an insular level, connecting with the local public is crucial.
Venezuela is a good example that we can learn from. In the 1970’s and 80’s I believe that this was the country with more world cup coverage, there was lots of money available as well in that time. At least three major networks covered the big event around the clock. I remember that in one world cup, one network (RCTV) had Pele as the commentator, whilst one competition (Venevision) had Alfredo Distefano as theirs, yet another network (CVTV) had the great Helenio Herrera as their commentator. The country was literally paralized during this magna event of futbol.
Yet, Venezuela never made it themselves to the world cup, ever! the sensational coverage of the world cup didn’t do much really for the sport in the country. Their national league never got the attention as the professional baseball league has, the king of sport was for the longest beneath baseball in terms of public interest in our neighboring country.
Only in the last thirty (30) years they started cultivating football at grassroots level, some Venezuelan players even made it in the largest European leagues, the likes of Juan Arango and Salomon Rondon. They improved and expanded the national league, creating a better structure and branding, leading to a better connection with the public. If that country can ever improve their socio-economic conditions, their football can also graduate to the next level in the near future, no doubt.
Follow Futbol Aruba on their Facebook social media, where Raymbert Bikker and crew will keep you updated on all the happenings in the “Division Honor” and perhaps also the other minor football leagues on the island. Additionally, this Futbol Aruba’s website, albeit in a limited role than in the past, however in two languages; English and Papiamento, will keep you informed on a weekly basis about upcoming fixtures and results of completed matches in the top division, with basic stats and a short commentary.