02 Aug 2020

 Francistown Regional Football Association (FRAFA) chairperson, Maokaneng Bontshetse has implored clubs to support and sell sponsors’ brands.

He echoed these sentiments during the FRAFA awards held in Francistown on August 1.

Bontshetse implored clubs to protect and support sponsors by wearing club jerseys when attending FRAFA or football activities.

‘Sponsorship is a process, it does not start with the committee, it does not start with sponsors, but it has to start with us, it start with clubs,’ he said.

Bontshetse described sponsorship as a marriage between the sponsor and the club, hence clubs should play an active role in selling the sponsor’s brand as that might also help with sponsorship renewal.

He said COVID-19 had affected FRAFA and football activities as well as forced the leagues to be ended in order to adhere to COVID-19 health protocols.

He said the decision to end the league was collective because all clubs were given opportunities to select criteria to end the league.

For his part, Adansonia managing director, Mr Praful Jog said it was a pleasure for Adansonia hotel to be associated with FRAFA, particularly that the hotel had become a home for Zebras for many years.

‘We do not look at profits when it comes to national teams, we look at providing services to our heroes,” he said.

He said as a business, they were facing difficulties due to COVID-19, adding that the hospitality industry was the hardest hit sector. He added that for business people to contribute to any event, they needed an income.

For his part, Jacaranda Primary School head, Ocharukunnil Johnson said it was his prayer that the world got back to normal because businesses had come to a halt.

A company is not complete unless it under takes community service, hence Jacaranda school’s involvement in FRAFA by sponsoring women soccer league, he added.

Giving closing remarks, FRAFA vice chairperson, Fanyana Fish applauded the sponsors for their support and appealed with the clubs to register as companies not as societies. He cited Shashe Mooke FC and Makungulupeswa FC as having succeeded because they registered as companies.

Fish also urged teams that did not perform well to benchmark on those that did well.

In the First Division league, Chadibe FC emerged champions and pocketed P25 000 and medals, followed by Dukwi FC on position two, which pocketed P10 000 while Tasc FC finished on third position and got P5 000. The First Division sponsor was World Group of Companies.

In Second Division, which was sponsored by Adansonia Hotel, Shashe Mooke United FC emerged victorious and pocketed P10 000 and medals, Makungulupeswa FC settled for second position and got P8 000 followed by Mangoma FC on position three getting P4 000.

In the women league sponsored by Jacaranda, Tutume Soccer Angles FC topped the table and pocketed P7 342, followed by Francistown United FC on position two to get P6 342 while Heritage Academy FC settled for position three and won P5 432.

FRAFA had received sponsorship deals worth P160 000 in October 2019, for 2019/2020 season. Jacaranda English Medium School sponsored women’s football league to the tune of P40 000 while Adansonia and World Group of Companies popped out P60 000 each for First and Second Divisions.

BM Garments and Bokgoni Holdings collaborated to provide referees with kits. The companies also provided trophies and medals to be awarded to the champions at the end of the season. ends