The Kabelano Charity Cup returns to Botswana’s football circles next year with Mascom as the new sponsors.
The event did not take place this year as expected due to lack of adequate stadium facilities when the with the National Stadium was closed for renovations.
Now the Charity Cup returns on Saturday 29th May 2010 at the National Stadium, with Mascom, the new sponsors on board.
This 2010 event will mark the 14th year since the inception of the cup. Speaking at the launch of the sponsorship, the chairman of the Kabelano Trust, Terrence Dambe, said Mascom Wireless Botswana shall for the next three years, commencing in 2010, become the primary sponsors of the annual Kabelano Charity Spectacular, “with the naming rights for the event and with other exclusive marketing rights”.
Dambe further said it is fitting for Mascom, as the leading mobile telecommunications company provider in the country, to become a part of the largest entertainment event in the country.
“With the support of Mascom, we are sure that we will be able to take this event to higher levels of entertainment for our beloved supporters who attend this event in large numbers year after year,” he said.
However, Dambe also said they have chosen to host the event earlier than usual, to add to the excitement and hype of the other major event (the World Cup) taking place in South Africa around that time. “Preparations have already begun for next year’s event which we hope will be the biggest and most exciting Kabelano Charity Event ever,” he said.
However, Dambe did not mention the sponsorship money or the price breakdown and not even the format for choosing participating teams.
“It is still early for us to let go of much information as we are still formulating how the event will look like,” he said.
He said they have an agreement with the Botswana Football Association hence the given date not to clash with premier league games, which are scheduled to finish by the month end of April.
The Chief Marketing Officer of Mascom, Dzene Makhwande-Seboni, said that Kabelano Charity Spectacular is a vehicle that fits perfectly with their strategic direction and it affords Mascom the opportunity not only to support the development of football, but also to further extend its corporate social responsibility initiatives.
She further said that the successful staging of such an event for so long is testament to the organizational capabilities and the commitment of the Kabelano Trust, and also indicative of the support the trust enjoys from the relevant stakeholders.
“We are delighted to be a key partner in the Kabelano Spectacular, a great sports entertainment and charity event in Botswana,” she said. Makhwande-Seboni, however, commended the soccer fraternity whose professional behaviour is at all times critical to any sponsor who chooses to support the sport.
Other associate sponsors are BP Botswana, who signed a three year deal to become one of the sponsors, and Mmegi Newspaper, who continues their relationship with the event as the print media sponsor for another year.
