Limbe Leaf Tobacco trophy sponsorship increased to K5m
Most sponsors have a tendency of putting sports administrators and their athletes in suspense after conclusion of tournaments but tobacco leaf buyer and processor Limbe Leaf Malawi have chosen to be different by announcing straight away that the stakes for the country’s oldest sports competition – Limbe Leaf Trophies – have been raised from K3 million to K5 million beginning next season.
Limbe Leaf’s Corporate Services Manager Willie Zingani made the announcement Sunday, July 8, 2012 at Nankhaka ground in Area 30, where the tobacco firm splashed out cash prizes to winners of this year’s competition after the final games.
Stakes high
“This year we have sponsored the competition to the tune of K3 million but from next year, we are raising the stakes to K5 million. Our aim, as Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company is to assist the government in its youth development programmes,” said Zingani.
Zingani said Limbe Leaf was proud to be associated with the success achieved by the country’s national football and netball teams and would continue providing a nursery for the national teams.
He said it is now over 32 years since they started sponsoring the tournament.
Zingani said in that period, the competition has produced such great stars as Young Chimodzi, Gilbert Chirwa, John Maduka and Joseph Kamwendo.
Government thankful
Guest of honour at the finals Principal Secretary for Youth Development and Sports Alex Mseka thanked Limbe Leaf for remaining government’s strategic partner in the development of sports from
grassroots for close to four decades.
“I have been reliably informed that Limbe Leaf has been sponsoring these competitions for over 35 years now and that the competition has produced some reputable sportsmen, some of whom have ventured into coaching and administration,” said Mseka.
He said sports plays an important role is the social and economic development of the country beside promoting good health.
The PS said the country needs serious sponsors like Limbe Leaf to sustain the development of football and netball.
The tournament
According to secretary of the competition’s organizing committee Innocent Kaundula, a total of 173 primary schools, translating to 692 teams from Lilongwe Urban, Lilongwe Rural West and Lilongwe Rural East entered the competition, which was divided into the categories of under 12 football and netball as well as under 17 football and netball.
During the Sunday finals, Kamuzu Barracks defeated Chisamba 24-6 to win the under 12 netball trophy with Nankhaka triumphing over Kabwabwa to retain the under 17 netball trophy. Both winners received trophies and K80,000 each with the runners-up pocketing K50,000 each. The prizes went up to the quarterfinalists.
Sports director for Nankhaka Primary Caroline Phiri attributed her team’s success to the girls’ hard work and support the team was getting from the school’s administration.
Kabwabwa footie winners
In football, Kabwabwa emerged under 12 champions after walloping Tsabango 5-1 while Msambeta defeated Mchesi 7-6 on post-match penalties to win the under 17 trophy.
Hero of the day for Msambeta was 17-year goalkeeper Elemia Banda, who saved two spot kicks for Mchesi. The teams were deadlocked at 0-0 after regulation time and the first five set of penalty kicks could not separate them.
It was during the sudden death kicks that Banda stopped two penalty kicks for Mchesi to hand his team the victory.
Msambeta and Kabwabwa got trophies and K100,000 each as champions with their runners-up walking away with K60,000 each. The prizes for football also went up to the quarterfinalists.
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