JB Sports Returns To Sponsor Volleyball
Naledi Lemogang | Monday November 6, 2017 11:43
JB Sports and the Botswana Volleyball Federation (BVF) signed the deal on Friday. The preliminaries take place in Serowe, Molepolole and Lobatse while the finals are scheduled for the University of Botswana. JB Sports managing director, Julian Matthew said the purpose of the sponsorship is to recapture the quality of volleyball particularly at elite level. He said P163,000 will be allocated towards cash prizes while P137,000 is for equipment and other expenses.
“The team that finishes in first position will walk away with a trophy and P17,000, their second runners will also get a trophy and P12,000 cash prize while position three will settle for P8,500 plus a trophy. All participating teams will get trophies and cash prizes within the range of P7,000 and P5,000 for both men and women’s categories,” Matthew said. He added that there will also be individual awards. Matthew said the deal would help improve volleyball, adding that going forward they will look at opportunities where players can compete internationally. He said when players are continuously engaged in local competitions, it contributes towards the quality of performance in the sport.
“We are here to support BVF for a better future of sport in Botswana. This is why today we are very proud to say that our last efforts were worth it since Botswana has produced good results and our players including men and women were able to participate in continental competitions,” he said.He further said they have signed a contract with BVF to re-launch the official (volley) ball. He said they are communicating with the official manufacturer, MIKAS Japan to restart the production of the (volley) ball. “The purpose of having an official ball for volleyball is that the players get an opportunity to play with a ball with proper technical features which is approved by International Sport Organisations. Players get used to the ball from grassroots level hence produce quality performance in competitions,” he added.
BVF president, Daniel Molaodi said they are grateful to JB Sports to have found it necessary to assist the federation achieve their mandate, which is to develop volleyball in Botswana. He said the sponsorship will contribute a lot to the future of volleyball since the players will get opportunities to play more often.
“Finding a sponsorship is not always easy. We believe that our partnership with JB Sport will go a long way in developing volleyball in Botswana,” Molaodi said.