ARINAITWE RUGYENDO: Why MTN Uganda’s UGX600m Sponsorship to Uganda Premier League IS Game Changer
Kampala | OPED – The FUFA Super League Limited, which trades as Uganda Premier League, has unveiled a formidable partner in MTN Uganda whose sponsorship is worth Shs 600m for this and the coming season.
This is a huge milestone for the game and I can dare say, it will be a game-changer.
MTN Uganda are not strange to Ugandan football. They were here before.
However, by 2015, when my team and I were plucked from our offices to come and give the local game some semblance of professionalism, improved governance, organization and acceptability, the league had almost been written off by the corporate world. MTN Uganda in particular did not want to hear anything about us.
To solve this puzzle, we embarked on a very quiet, meticulous but very difficult confidence-building journey of reorganization, building sponsor confidence, professionalization, improving governance systems, stamping out hooliganism and balancing the boat between UPL and FUFA.
Our ideology was clear from the start. We opted for Stability in football. No Hooliganism. No Club Wrangles with FUFA. Building Political Will in Football and No Corruption.
Thus far, from a mere three sponsors in 2015, this ideological conviction has ensured that the league now has around 15 sponsors.
The question now is; Why has MTN, known to support African football elsewhere, and in a very big way, felt there is now something they can do with us?
The reason is that along the way, we have answered all their questions. And using this ideology, we have built a product worth their respect. The rest of the corporate should join this caravan.
Salutations:
I, therefore, want to salute MTN Uganda for thinking about growing local football, especially at times when they are engaging Ugandans to buy shares in the company. In whichever way they have come and how the Ugandan football fan may want to look at it, the return of MTN is the game changer my team and I have been waiting for and have worked hard for, since 2015.
I also want to salute Next Media Services for facilitating this process up to its logical conclusion. They have been an amazing team of stakeholders with a passion for growing local football. The endless meetings, about 40, were not in vain. We know they are bringing on board the much-needed communication platforms to enhance and propel this giant of a league that has been sleeping but with huge prospects for potential sponsors.
We are very much aware that with them and MTN on board, this ‘combined arms element’ will finally bring for us THAT ultimate Marketing –Communication Mix buzz that has been lacking in the game.
I salute the members of the SUPL Board, our main sponsors StarTimes, the FUFA leadership, club chairmen, the disciplined fans and the ethical sports press for smoothly enabling this process to come to a happy conclusion. I thank you.
What the Future holds:
We are looking forward to a new experience of hope, optimism, prosperity and brand enhancement of the product of the league so that we can attract more partners.
MTN Uganda and Next Media Services are going to enable us recognize our footballers every end of season in a sponsorship that will last the next probably 700 days. I invite others to join them because the prospects are huge.
Appeal:
I appeal to the rest of our football fans out there to please support, use and enjoy MTN services. Use MTN services to pay for your tickets. Use their data to watch games from your smartphones. Enjoy Next Media services. Enjoy StarTimes services. But above all; Buy Ugandan Football. Build Ugandan Football.
To my friends and colleagues in the press. The last time we interacted, about five years ago, I appealed to you to protect the game. Water it. Nurture it and nourish it. The reason was that there would be no credible sports journalism without a protected sports regime by the press. What you see here are your fruits- not ours. The MTN sponsorship will create more avenues for you. More opportunities for you and above all, more content for your media. This is the ideology we agreed upon and it is working. Maintain and do not get tired.
Finally, to potential sponsors out there.
The last time I checked, we had close to 9000 factories in Uganda. These factories can only be safe and sound if they think about supporting sports development, especially football. This is because a well-developed sports is a security insurance from restless youths who might harbor negative ideas against your factories. I implore you to be very very wise and develop this sector. We have a growing and very agitated, frustrated and restless youth because of the limited opportunities for them. You need you to think about how we all should work together to engage them meaningfully and sports is one avenue that is quick and effective. Invest in sports infrastructure. Invest in supporting sports clubs and their federations. That is when we will be happy in a secure investment climate!
NOTE: Mr Arinaitwe Rugyendo is a journalist, media scholar and chairman of the Uganda Premier League
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