Debswana plan First Division awards� fete
Calistus Kolantsho | Wednesday June 4, 2014 16:17
Debswana corporate citizenship manager, Barulaganyi Mogotsi told Mmegi Sport that the ceremony will be held at an unspecified date but before the start of the next season.
The diamond-mining giant injected P6 million into the league over three years from 2013.
Mogotsi said 80 percent of the funds are being channelled to clubs to fund transport and accommodation expenses as well as players’ welfare needs and administrative costs.
Mogotsi said the lesson they learnt in the first season of sponsoring the league will be used to effect improvements next season. “Due to the financial injection that teams got, they managed to honour matches and that is key to Debswana. Teams travelling more than 400 kilometres were claiming for mileage and that money assisted them to cover other costs,” he explained.
Mogotsi said in the beginning, the agreement was that each club should get a P12,500 grant on a quarterly basis.
The agreement was meant to make the management of the process easier since the sponsorship was still new. Mogotsi explained that the sponsor had changed the arrangement after complaints that the grants were too little.
It was then agreed that clubs should get a lump sum of P40,000. Mogotsi said the Debswana sponsorship has improved standards in the First Division League as evidenced by the fact that some players from the competition has been called for national duty.
“This shows the existence of talent out there and it is complimenting our Re Ba Bona Ha programme,” said Mogotsi.
Sankoyo Bush Bucks were champions in the north, while the south champions will be decided after a decision by the sports National Appeals Board.
The crowning of champions in the south has been delayed by a dispute between Letlapeng and Black Forest over an ineligible player.