Local telecommunications giant MTC yesterday announced multiple sponsorship deals with a record seven sport codes amounting to about N$55 million in total over three years, which will see a raft of major and minor sport disciplines receiving a much-needed financial boost.
The manifold sponsorship deals, which will cater for a record 11 sport organisations, amounts to about N$55 million and will run for three years coming into effect from 1st October 2020 until October 2023.
The new 11 sport beneficiaries are as follows: MTC NFA Cup; N$4.5 mil (N$13.5mil over 3 years), MTC Dr Hage Geingob Cup; N$1.6mil (N$4.8mil over 3 years), MTC HopSol Youth Soccer League; N$500 000 (N$1.5mil over 3 years), MTC Nestor Sunshine Boxing; N$2.75mil (N$8.25mil over 3 years), MTC Salute Boxing Academy; N$2.75mil (N$8.25mil over 3 years), MTC Namibia Youth Games; N$1.8mil (N$5.4 mil over 3 years), MTC Kilimanjaro Boxing Club; N$500 000 (N$1.5 mil over 3 years), MTC Netball Premier League; N$1.4mil (N$4.2 mil over 3 years), MTC Namibia Hockey Union; N$1mil (N$3mil over 3 years), MTC Get Into Rugby Program; N$900 000 (N$2.7mil over 3 years) and MTC Horse Racing Association: N$500 000 (N$1.5mil over 3 years).
Along with the sponsorship to sports, MTC also announced that it has taken over the popular Windhoek Fashion Week and will be injecting N$1.2 million annually for three years into the event that will now be known as the MTC Windhoek Fashion Week.
The annual 081Every1 Music Fest also received a N$3.2 million annual boost from MTC and will see the telecommunications company financially back the music festival for the next three years to the tune of N$9.6 million.
With the addition of the Windhoek Fashion Week and the 081Every1 Music Fest, it brings MTC’s total sponsorship announced to all beneficiaries yesterday to N$67.8 million.
On the sporting side of things, with MTC now wholly taking over the Namibia Football Association (NFA) Cup it signals the company’s official exit from sponsoring premiership football and subsequently the end its long-running relationship with the beleaguered Namibia Premier League (NPL).
Yesterday’s N$67.8 million sponsorship is the most diverse sponsorship catering almost everyone and will go down in history as the biggest sponsorship announcement by any Namibian corporate.
Delivering the keynote address yesterday, sports minister Agnes Tjongarero thanked MTC for its massive contribution to sports, arts and culture and was quick to strongly caution the beneficiaries of the mega sponsorship to safeguard the investment MTC is making in them.
Tjongarero also addressed the infighting amongst sports leaders which so often affects innocent players and warned that the leaders in sport must turn a new page to advance the interest of sports to attract more investors.
– ohembapu@nepc.com.na