Zimbabwe PSL boss speaks on Delta sponsorship

Sport
PREMIER Soccer League chief executive officer Kenny Ndebele has challenged premier league clubs to be focussed when negotiations for a new deal

PREMIER Soccer League chief executive officer Kenny Ndebele has challenged premier league clubs to be focussed when negotiations for a new deal with league sponsors Delta Beverages begin.

By Brian Nkiwane

Ndebele acknowledged a lot had been said about Delta Beverages sponsorship, but challenged clubs to take advantage of the branded league and use it as a tool in marketing their football products.

“As you know that our three- year sponsorship deal with Delta expired this year, negotiations are now underway for the renewal of the deal. A lot has been said by clubs and football fans that the package was too little, an idea that I don’t buy at all,” Ndebele said.

The heavily built football administrator went on to explain the nitty gritties of football management and other things that clubs should take into consideration when playing in a branded league.

“League sponsors are there to brand the league, not to sponsor clubs, that’s one thing people don’t understand. In this case, Delta Beverages have been branding our league for the past three years and it was up to the clubs to be pro-active and look for other alternative sponsors to help them run their club. Look at what has been happening at Highlanders, Dynamos, CAPS United and Black Mambas, these clubs had other sponsors who helped them with other expenses,” he said.

Ndebele added: “ As PSL, we gave the league sponsor the space on the sleeve for advertising on match kits while the front part is left open for clubs to lure other sponsors.”

Ndebele added that apart from paying end-of-year prizes which also include soccer stars finalists and other categories involved, the league sponsors also met advertising budgets which resulted in all the 240 match fixtures as well as results being advertised in more than one medium.

“These are other expenses that people don’t appreciate. We must remember where we are coming from. We had other sponsors like CBZ, Econet, OK, BP, Dairyboard and Nestle that came on board but left. As PSL, we have not sat down to review why these companies left. We must appreciate that we still have four competitions to play for, the league, Mbada Diamonds Cup which incorporates all the 16 teams, the BancABC Sup8r Cup, as well as the NetOne Charity Shield whose entry now relies on football fans.