The inaugural National Bank of Malawi (NBM) Women’s Football National League champions will get K10 million, Football Association of Malawi (FAM)has announced.
The league will kick off on July 26 with each of the 10 teams also receiving K13 million subvention.
FAM president Fleetwood Haiya said this yesterday during the unveiling of the women’s league and the Under-23 Men’s National Championship prizes and subvention at Mpira Village in Chiwembe Township, Blantyre.
He said eventual champions will get K10 million, runners-up K5 million and the third-placed team will pocket K3 million as part of the K280 million NBM has allocated to the women’s league in its K1 billion football sponsorship package for this year.
In total, K154.6 million, representing 56 percent, will be used for prizes subventions whereas K53 million is meant for equipment.
Match organisation and officiation has been allocated K47.7 million while administration and marketing has a K24 million budget.
So far, top three teams from the country’s three regional leagues have automatically made the national league grade while the remaining single slot will be filled by the winner of play-offs that will involve fourth-placed teams in the regional leagues.
This means, Kukoma Ntopwa Women, FCB Nyasa Bullets Women and Mighty Wanderers Queens will represent the South while the Centre will have Ascent Soccer Academy, Civil Service Women and Silver Strikers Ladies. The North’s ambassadors will be Moyale Sisters, MK Academy and Topik Sisters.
The play-offs will involve the South’s Bangwe All Stars, MDF Lioness from the Centre and Mzuzu City Hammers from the North.
In the K500 million NBM Under-23 Men’s National Championship, Haiya said K152.3 million, representing 31 percent, will go towards prizes, K100.6 million to equipment and K210.2 million to match organisation, officiation and capacity building while K36.9 million is for administration and marketing.
The men’s competition, national champions will also receive K10 million, runners-up K4 million, third-positioned team K1.5 million and fourth-placed side K500 000.
“But the competition will start at district level where, apart from qualifying for regional playoffs, winners will receive K2 million.
District runners up, third placed team, player of the tournament and top scorer will get K1 million, K500 000, K200 000 and K150 000, respectively,” the FAM president said.
Regional champions will get K3 million for participation in the national phase.
National finalist will get uniforms and a ball each and each district will get 15 match balls.
NBM plc marketing and corporate affairs manager Akossa Hiwa said the bank’s decision to sponsor the women’s national league is a deliberate act.
She said: “We are investing not just in the game, but in equality, empowerment and visibility.”s earned its place at the top.”
