Football Association of Malawi (FAM) says the association wants all regional leagues to enjoy uniform sponsorship with Finca Malawi’s K100 million package for the Southern Region Football Association (SRFA) as the benchmark.
Currently, the Finca sponsorship is the biggest package among the four regions.
| Courtesy of FAM
The Central Region Football Association’s Chipiku Stores-backed league is sponsored to the tune of K30 million while the Eastern Region Football Association’s Durata Premier Division League, sponsored by H Adams Wholesalers, receives K36 million.
On the other hand, the Northern Region Football Association Division One League remains without a sponsor.
In an interview after watching a Finca Division One League match between Nchima FC and Mighty Wanderers Reserves at Nchima Ground in Thyolo on Sunday, FAM president Fleetwood Haiya said there is need for uniformity.
He said: “We want to make sure that at the end of the day, we have uniformity for all regional leagues because at grassroots level, we need more investments.
“It’s not just about the prize money for the clubs. There are many logistical challenges that these teams face. Our teams are not financially stable.
“That’s why we need adequate funding for the leagues so that teams can get more subvention. So, K100 million or even more would be the best benchmark for regional leagues.”
Haiya, who last season rescued the Northern Region Football Association league with a K25 million sponsorship for their league, said FAM is also working to secure sponsorship for the region.
“While we have given the responsibility of running the regional leagues to associations, it is our responsibility as FAM to ensure that they also have sponsorship. Soon, Northern Region Football Association will be unveiling a new sponsor,” he said.
Haiya also commended Finca Malawi for investing in grassroots football and expressed satisfaction with the youthful talent on display in the league.
He said: “This is the first time that we have had such phenomenal sponsorship. My coming today was also to witness for myself the talent that we are having in Malawi and demonstrate how much we value grassroots football.”
“As much as there is no age restriction in the Southern Region Football Association league, you can see that most of the players are playing in our Under-20 teams or have just graduated from that level.
“This is what we have been talking about, clubs need to invest in youth. These players, in the next two or three years, will be competing in the Super League and will help us build a strong national team.”
Finca Malawi chief commercial officer Madalitso Jonazi said the institution is pleased with the progress of the league.
SRFA chairperson Dyless Kachala thanked FAM and Finca Malawi for gracing the matches.
