In the past year, Orange sponsored the event to the tune of P150,000 with a possibility for an extension. According to BNSC Marketing and Communications Manager, Modipe Nkwe, their negotiations for an extension with Orange had been unsuccessful; so the hunt for another sponsor is continuing. He said currently they are in talks with a number of companies and are hopeful that they would have clinched a deal at the time of the event. Nkwe said they have already secured a place for the ceremony billed for March 28. He also admitted that since parting ways with Barloworld, they are really struggling to get sponsors. Last year, the sponsorship was secured just few weeks before the event.
Despite that, the event managed to live to expectations. Nkwe said if they fail to get a sponsor, they would find a way of staging the event. "I cannot say what will happen now but we will cross that bridge when we get there," he told Mmegi Sport yesterday.
Though it is only few weeks before the awards are staged, Nkwe does not believe it is too late to get a sponsor. "We still have time, mind you last year we only managed to get a sponsor at the end of February," he said. Nkwe added that preparations for the event started immediately after last year's event. He said other processes like selecting prospective winners are in progress. Teams have been divided into small groups and after judging has been completed, the list of 'probables' will be submitted to the BNSC secretariat for approval. Nkwe said it is possible that if the awards are held without a sponsor, some of the requirements may be cut. That is something they would like to avoid, which is why they are looking at lasting relationship with sponsors, as it will benefit both parties. "We do not have enough time to give our sponsors enough mileage as we would like because our relationships are only for a short time," he said. BNSC awards are held annually to reward athletes and officials who performed exceptionally well during the season.
