FAM hints at big national division league sponsor

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Fleetwood Haiya says a big sponsorship package is in the offing for the National Division League to be introduced next season.

He said this on Wednesday when asked what the football governing body will do to bridge the sponsorship gap that exists betweenthe top-flight and the lower leagues following the increase of TNM Super League sponsorship from K150 million per season to K500 million.

“There is a lot happening under the transformation of the game agenda.Very soon we will unveil the sponsorship for our national league,which is a lot of money as well. So the gap that you are talking aboutwill no longer exist. There will be no gaps,” said Haiya.

Currently, the regional football leagues’ premier divisions in the South, Centre and North act as the second-tier leagues that directly qualify thechampions to the elite league.

However, Haiya said the coming in of the National Division League will see the best regional teams coming together to compete in a single contest. Then, the eventual champions and other top-three outfits will be promoted into the Super League.

Meanwhile, FAM has constituted a national division league development committee to improve ways of handling lower league competition.

Regional leagues have welcomed the development, saying the national league will help to enhance football standards in the country.

“We will support FAM’s mission of transforming the game,” said Southern Region Football Association chairperson Raphael Humba.