BY SUNDAY AKINTOYE
Media officers of the participating teams in this year’s Lagos State Challenge Cup known as Lagos FA Cup have been reminded to be professionals and diligent on their duties
Speaking at the club media officer training seminar title “The role of football club media officer” on Tuesday morning ahead of Lagos FA Cup, one of the panelists who invited for the workshop, Toye Ibitoye urged the club media officers to project their clubs positively and ensure to partner and collaborate with other social media for wide coverage.
He explained that the media officer plays a vital role in the success of the club saying that any club fails to have a media officer or undermine the work of a media at their own peril.
“The seminar was organised for the club media officers whose teams are taking part in the Lagos FA Cup to be professional and diligent in their duties.We are expecting the media officers of the participating teams to be more professional and ensure that their clubs,players and coaches are projected positively to the global world,”he said.
In his own comment, Chisom Mbonu said club media officers can be better if they are focused and consistent in their reportage admitted that the role of media officers in a club cannot be ignored.
She, however, called on the club owners to create enabling environment to support their media department in discharging their duties diligently.
“Media officer of a club should be focused and consistent because we are now in a digital era where clubs, players and coaches are known through the media space, so I implore our colleagues to see Lagos FA Cup as an opportunity to exploit and promote the image of their clubs,” she said.
Speaking in the same vein, John Joshua, an accomplished journalist who was among the panelists also emphasised the need for collaboration and partnership in the media space.
He explained that media officers should work together with other media such as online media, conventional newspapers, broadcast media and content creators, to make their work easy while reporting about their clubs to the public.
“Media officers should not work alone; rather, they should also work with other media organisations to make their work better. The era of working alone for a club is gone, and we are now in the social media age where information quickly move faster than before. As a media Officer, your job is to promote your club, players and coaches and also extend your stories to other journalists to promote it for you,” said Akanji who wished all the clubs best of luck in their outings.
Some of the media officers who spoke to our correspondent commended the Lagos FA for the training noted that the training has prepared them well for the future challenges and promised to do their work diligently.
Meanwhile, a total of 77 clubs are expected to take part in the Lagos FA Cup, which kicks off on Sunday across the designated centres.
69 teams have registered for the male category, while eight teams will slug it out in the female category.
Among the personalities who attended the colourful and glamorous Lagos FA Cup draws are Traditional Rulers, club owners, football administrators, board members of Lagos State Football Association, ex-internationals, Football Coaches, journalists, Divisional Football Chairmen and other football stakeholders