BFL seals P23m Btv deal
Mqondisi Dube | Saturday November 5, 2022 06:00
BFL officials had already confirmed the deal ahead of the official signing which took place yesterday.
“This serves to inform members of the media and stakeholders that the Botswana Football League (Pty) Lt has signed a three-year deal with Botswana Television to broadcast Botswana Premier League games.
The duration of the agreement is for seasons 2022-2023 to 2024-2025 at the tune of P23 million,” reads a press statement from the BFL.
The broadcasting deal represents the most significant sponsorship for the league after the BFL could not attract the title sponsor for a second season running. The last season, which was played before the COVID-19 disruption, saw telecommunications company, BTC trim its funding from P13 million to just P5 million citing a breach in contract.
Since then, BFL officials have been scanning the length and breadth of the corporate world looking for suitors without success. The last season was played without a title sponsor but clubs received prize money, and this campaign, with Btv committing, the BFL board has also promised to reward affiliates. However, there would be no monthly grants for clubs that have constantly moaned about financial challenges.
The BFL argues, clubs by obtaining a license to play in the Premier League, make an affirmation of their financial suitability to participate. The Botswana Premier League stands out as the only domestic competition without a sponsor in the region.
Telecommunications companies have emerged as the dominant financial backers of football within the region. While Botswana authorities have struggled to source title sponsors, there has been no such sweat for the majority of the neighbouring countries.
In Malawi, mobile telecommunications company, TNM sponsors the league competition for around P1.3 million per season. Another mobile cellular phone services provider, MTN Eswatini is the sponsor of the Eswatini Premier League.
MTN Eswatini recently announced a R19 million three-year deal, translating to R6.5 million per season. The company announced the sponsorship deal in August. In Lesotho, Vodacom Lesotho injected around P6 million in 2020, taking over as the new sponsor for the league, usurping another telecommunications company, Econet. This season’s sponsorship figure for the Lesotho League stands at about P2.5 million. In Namibia, after a three-year hiatus, football will return this weekend for the first time since 2019. A dispute over the relegation of two clubs had led to an impasse which sparked the inactivity. Diamond mining company, DebMarine Namibia is the new sponsor of the league, replacing mobile telecommunications company, MTC. DebMarine has poured in around P10 million for this season’s action as clubs dust the three-year cobwebs.
In Tanzania, Vodacom is the financial backer of the league, paying around P16 million per season, although officials complained about the deal. Hydroelectric power plant, HCB sponsors Mozambique’s Mocambola League, while another Portuguese-speaking country, Angola has television channel, ZAP as the main backer. Zambia’s Super League is sponsored by telecommunications company, MTN which finances the competition for around P11 million per season. The Zambian League also enjoys support from major brewer, Zambian Breweries who came on board this year.
The league is also broadcast on DStv, with the television channel paying more than P13 million per season. In Zimbabwe, Delta Beverages, through its Castle Lager brand, sponsors the league for nearly P10 million per season.
The company also sponsors a knock-out competition, Chibuku for about P5 million each season. The region’s richest league is South Africa’s DStv Premiership which enjoys a healthy R140 million (more than P100 million) deal from the pay-per-view television channel. The DStv Premiership ranks among the wealthiest in Africa, attracting multiple other financial partners.