21 Jul 2013

Botswana Rugby Union (BRU) and Horizon Ogilvy & Mather have entered into a two-year partnership that would see the advertising and public relations  company market the union to potential sponsors.

The deal, co-announced on July 18 by both parties in Gaborone, has injected fresh confidence that the financially constrained union would find sponsors in the near future.

BRU president, Bob Lekan, who has been at the helm of the organisation for the past five years, said they have been operating without sponsors for a number of years.

Lekan explained that the absence of sponsorships had affected  development of local rugby, which was introduced as a sport code in Botswana by immigrant non-nationals over three decades ago.

BRU was founded in 1982 but a concerted effort to spread the sport among the natives only started gaining momentum in 1987 when rugby was introduced in schools.

Since then it had grown in popularity and is played in 130 schools around the country by boys and girls.

The union runs three successful leagues, the A-Division, B-Division, and Women’s League. It also operates various national teams since 1996.

“The introduction of rugby in schools changed the face of rugby in Botswana as more locals started playing it.

But that growth took place in the absence of sponsors and our programmes are mostly financed through funding from the Botswana National Sports Council and the International Rugby Board,” said Lekan.

The BRU boss said their search for a company which could brand rugby and make it appealing to sponsors started four years ago.

“We finally managed to enter into a partnership with Horizon Ogilvy. They would be tasked with looking for sponsors for us and managing the union’s events. We chose Horizon Ogilvy because they are a big brand,” he said.

In what is seen by both parties as a win-win situation, Horizon Ogilvy would be eligible for 15 per cent  commission on every sponsorship deal it clinches for the union.

Lekan said having sponsors would enable the union to stage more competitions and send the national teams to compete at more international events. Exposure to more competitive events would lead to growth of the standard of rugby, he opined.

Horizon Ogilvy & Mather managing director, Thabo Majola, said his company was proud to be associated with a strong brand like rugby.

He said his company believed in the potential of rugby and would do everything possible to assist it to find sponsors. Ends