Blantyre Netball League secure lucrative K10 million sponsorship from Thompson & Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation
Thompson & Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation has reached out to Blantyre District Netball League (BDNL) with a lucrative K10 million sponsorship to run for two years but stand a chance of being renewed.
At the official memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday at Thompson & Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation offices at Makata, Blantyre, the two parties announced that the sponsorship will be channelled to three areas.
The Foundation’s executive assistant, Tabitha Mwando announced that they have adopted two teams from Rainbow Paints-sponsored league who are have been going through financial hiccups — namely Blantyre Tremors and Shizaella Queens.
Mwando said the two teams will get a K6 million package from the K10 million which will carter for their allowances in the 2023 season whereas K2.34 million will be used for the players’ special mentorship and welfare training program while the remaining K1.6 million will go towards end-of-season netball bonanza — to involve the two adopted teams and other teams that will finish the season from position 5 to 12.
“Our target is to empower the young girls so that they realize their dreams of playing netball at a higher level especially professional,” she said.
“And apart from that, we are also aiming to promote netball from grassroots level so that we create continuity in the sport.
“We also want to create a platform whereby after they’re done playing netball, they should be trained in many areas so that they shouldn’t be staying idol.”
On her part, BDNC chairperson Vitumbiko Gubuduza applauded the Foundation for the sponsorship, which she said has come at the right time when their committee has been crying for support to the financial struggling teams and also for bonanza.
“As a committee, we are very overwhelmed with this sponsorship because we’ve been knocking on different doors for support but it has pleased the Thompson & Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation to consider assisting us, which is not an easy thing considering the current economic challenges the country and the world is going through.
“We promise that we’ll take transparent and accountability as our major key so that we spend according to what has been approved,” she said.
Present was Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) vice-president Junier Kazembe expressed he delight as she described the partnership as crucial in as far as netball development is concerned.
Kazembe said it is very unfortunate to note that most BDNL teams have no sound sponsorship while others are supported financially l by coaches — a development which is affecting the sport.
“This is history in our netball to secure a package of sponsorship going to three areas and I must thank BDNL for the hardworking spirit.
“As you know, Southern Region is leads in contributing more players to the national teams but the sad part is that it lacks enough support to motivate the players.
“So i believe this is the beginning of good things and I would like to thank the Thompson & Barbara Mpinganjira Foundation for this gesture,” she said.
Blantyre Tremors coach, Zikani Nyondo, Shizaella Queens team manager, Theresa Zimba applauded the Foundation for bailing them out of their financial challenges they have been facing and that the sponsorship will help them to improve the performance among the players.
Meanwhile, BDNL says it has introduced a first-ever package which will be awarded to the season’s best top goal shooter.
General secretary, Annie Hanjahanja said the special award will commence this season and that the committee decided to introduce the category with the aim of bringing competition among netball shooters and also encourage them to become superstars.
Hanjahanja, who did not disclose the prize package allocated for the outstanding goal-shooter, said since the 2023 season started, there has been a tremendous improvement among the shooters compared to the previous years.
She indicated that statistics on how the shooters are performing are always made available to the public, a thing which she said has brought competition and that such effort shown by the players cannot just go unnoticed.
“Previously, we have been awarding the shooters but we used to select only those who played well in that particular season but after doing a thorough discussion we discovered that we were not doing justice to those goal shooters who used to score more baskets in a season, as such we resolved that from this season we should start awarding top goal-shooters.”
She further said the category will be maintained every season because it is one way of motivating both shooters as well as attackers.
Currently, First Choice Tigresses shooter, Eve Kazembe is leading the top goalscorers chart with 484 goals, followed by Grace Chazungulira of Kukoma Diamonds (444 goals) while Imosys NC star, Dorcas Mbendera is on third position with 385 goals.
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