Standard Bank stops netball sponsorship

It is now official that Standard Bank will not return with the national netball trophy sponsorship that was suspended two years ago.

Recent reports gave prospects of the financial institution coming back to bankroll the competition it abandoned in 2011 due to what it described as poor organisation at the Netball Association of Malawi (NAM), but all that has now been put to rest.

The bank’s head of marketing Chimwemwe Matonga spilled the beans in Blantyre last weekend when asked to clarify the bank’s interest to sponsor another sports discipline apart from football next year.

“Of course, we will bankroll another sport in 2014. Netball is now comfortably sponsored by Airtel Malawi, which has pumped a lot of money into the sport. We are happy with that.

“Nevertheless, next year, we want to go into another sport that is in dire need of sponsorship. The name of the discipline will remain under wraps for now, but it must be said it will be another sport,” said Matonga.

This revelation  has shocked NAM president Rosy Chinunda, who, yesterday said they were keenly waiting for good news after addressing all issues Standard Bank wanted them to sort out, including the setting up of a secretariat.

“We are yet to be formerly informed on that. But if it is really true that they have completely pulled out sponsorship, then we are worried because there seemed a green light on their coming back,” said Chinunda.

She, however, said the bank’s argument that netball is now well sponsored by Airtel Malawi does not hold water because more sponsors are still needed to support the sport in various ways such as developmental netball and the leagues.

“For instance, South Africa has Spar Proteas as the main sponsors, but there are four more sponsors that also bankroll the sport. We hope they will rescind their decision and start helping us again,” she said.

Despite that, Chinunda urged the bank to present uniforms for the eight teams that were set to participate in the 2011 event, that were sent to it for branding.

She said the tournament was stopped when the teams had already paid registration fees.

Diamonds were the last champions of the K7 million annual contest.n