- Mascom tags along to help
GAZETTE REPORTER
In an admission of the challenges they face in securing sponsorships, Botswana Volleyball Federation (BVF) has taken the initiative to organise a self-sponsored tournament, BVF President Tsoseletso Magang, had disclosed in a telephone interview.
“Yes, we do have a tournament which started a fortnight ago,” she stated. “It is sponsored by BVF and supported by Mascom, even though it’s not on a large scale.
“The idea of bringing Mascom on board with a modest budget is to re-establish our relationship with them. We hope they will consider sponsoring us on a larger scale in the future.”
Prolonged period
Magang acknowledged the difficulty in attracting corporate sponsors for BVF. “Even before COVID, volleyball had experienced a prolonged period of inactivity,” he noted.
“But it is challenging for corporates to invest without visible activities, hence we decided to start a self-sponsored tournament. That way, we hope to convince corporates to support us.
“Our hope is that when they see our presence in the media, they will take an interest and recognise our potential.”
The BVF national league has been dormant for more than 40 months, with the last league game having been played in the last quarter of 2018 under a Mascom Wireless sponsorship that was not renewed.
BVF-sponsored cup competitions are facing a similar lack of sponsorship, with JB Sports the last entity to support such tournaments.
Another tournament
However, Magang is optimistic about the future, revealing plans for another tournament before this year’s end followed by club championships in Lesotho.
“We are in talks with other potential partners to start the next season early next year,” she said. “This year, our efforts were mainly focused on seeking sponsors but we encountered many closed doors. Even so, we remain hopeful that our persistence will pay off.”