The sponsorship that started in early 2008 (see below) will be maintained despite inflation:
"At the beginning of the year, Savanna pegged its sponsorship at $1 trillion.
This has however, been eroded by hyper-inflation, meaning that currently the figure does not buy a loaf of bread.
But
at a function at the company's production factory on Wednesday, the
company's chairman Adam Molai told reporters that the sponsorship
package will be reviewed to match the current monetary value.
Source: All Africa
Via All Africa
Division One's Big Boost
The Herald (Harare)
NEWS
29 February 2008
Posted to the web 29 February 2008
By Grace Chingoma
Harare
Savanna Tobacco inject $1 trillion SAVANNA TOBACCO have consolidated their place as one of the biggest sponsors of domestic football by pouring $1 trillion into the three Division One leagues in the country - ending 10 years of sponsorship blues for the leagues.
The company is already a major sponsor in the Premiership through their association with Dynamos and Highlanders.
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Savanna Tobacco have now extended their association with football to a national level by injecting $1 trillion into the three Division One leagues. The company will sponsor the three leagues - the Zifa Northern Region, the Zifa Southern Region and the Zifa Eastern Region - under their Pacific brand. The sponsorship will take care of the administration costs of the league, marketing costs and a cup tournament - Pacific Champions of Champions -- which will feature the top three teams from the three leagues at the end of the season.
There will also be monthly awards for the best player and the top goalscorer culminating in the grand annual awards for the outstanding player of the season and the Golden Boot winner.
Division One football has not had a sponsor since BAT Zimbabwe pulled out almost 10 years ago. Savanna Tobacco executive chairman Adam Molai said they decided to extend their football sponsorship from just two clubs onto a national scale to boost their participation and presence in the country's biggest sporting discipline.
"We see our association with football as a national social responsibility and our strategic parternship with Zifa as our contribution to the development of sport at grassroots levels. "We are certain that our involvement with Division One will improve the quality of competition through the cash injection and is a welcome gesture, considering current economic challenges.
"Our vision at Savanna Tobacco is to see the level of competition and professionalism in structures improve, ultimately contributing to the growth of football at Premier League level and cascading to our national squad for the 2010 World Cup finals," said Molai.
Savanna marketing manager Amos Phiri said the sponsorship and the monthly awards should help boost the quality of the game in the lower divisions. "The top three teams will feature in the Pacific Champion of Champions, and the teams will be dressed in Savanna kits and we will cater for the administration costs of the three leagues.
"We hope for a better relationship with the clubs and we will be reviewing to see how best clubs will benefit from us," said Phiri. Zifa chairman Wellington Nyatanga said the clubs should obey the rules of football and protect the sponsorship package. "Savanna Tobacco have found it necessary to plough back some of their profits to the community they operate.
"This development is a milestone towards football development in Zimbabwe at grassroots level," said Nyatanga. Guest of honour Shingi Munyeza, the Group Chief Executive of Zimsun Leisure Group, paid tribute to Savanna Tobacco for their sponsorship package. Munyeza said domestic football needed to move from its past amateurish approach to the reality that the game was changing rapidly ahead of the 2010 World Cup finals.
Munyeza said football needed to respond to the confidence being shown by the sponsors through better administration which would boost its image and appeal to other corporate partners. He said sport had become an identity and the more successful Zimbabwe was in international competitions the better the country's image would become on the global stage. Munyeza said it was important for domestic football to gear itself up for the 2010 World Cup finals and the expected commercial benefits that would come with the bandwagon. Zifa Southern Region chairman Musa Mandaza said they would battle to protect the image of the sponsor.
"No words can describe how we are feeling because this is the moment we have been waiting for. It is now up to us to protect the marriage with Savanna. "We have already sent the message to teams and they are aware that we will not be tolerating any boardroom disagreements. "We will have a match commissioner at every game who will give a detailed report," said Mandaza. Eastern Region chairman Fungai Chihuri said they will run administration courses for the clubs.
"We will work flat out to protect the partnership. We are happy and want them (sponsor) to be protected. We will run courses but in our league there was great improvement and last year we didn't have boardroom squabbles," said Chihuri.
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