By Michael Uugwanga
Despite football recording a staggering 39.9 percent as the most participated sport in the country, as reported by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) a few weeks ago, there is however no financial contribution reflected towards the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
This was said by NSA communication officer Mirjam Shihepo when asked by Confidente about the financial contribution made by football towards the economy like other sectors such as agriculture, fishing, mining, tourism, wholesale and retail trade, construction and others that continue to contribute towards the country’s GDP.
In most developed countries, sport is a major contributor to economies due to heavy investments from various entities, while in Namibia sport continues to be overlooked when it comes to investment, especially from the private sector, which only contributes minimal funding despite sport becoming an expensive industry.
The stats from NSA also show that more males have attended football matches than females.
According to NSA, more males attend matches three times a month, representing 63.7 percent compared to 36.3 percent for females, while twice a month males attend at 59.7 percent compared to 40.3 percent for females.
Besides football, netball is in second place with a participation rate of 9.8 percent, followed by walking for fitness at 9.4 percent, athletics at 5.1 percent, while kiddies sport recorded 3.9 percent.
“The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) collected data during the census on sports activities individuals participate in. Therefore, the 39.9% refers to the proportion of the population who reported football as a sport they actively participate in. NSA does not have data on numbers of people attending matches or the amount of money generated from sport activity. NSA only produces statistics and does not provide views on such matters (contribution towards the economy),” said Shihepo.
