FNB RENEW BOTESSA SPONSORSHIP
Bank pops out P3 million over three years
FIRST National Bank Botswana (FNBB) has renewed it’s partnership with Botswana Tertiary Student Sports Association (BOTESSA).
The three-year P3 million sponsorship meant to nurture local athletes at tertiary level came to an end on the 30th of June. The bank, however, renewed their commitment in the development of sports with another P3 million over the next three years.
In an exclusive interview with Voice Sport, BOTESSA Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Seiphetlho, confirmed the deal and further revealed that an official launch will be done soon. He said the sponsor was impressed by the association’s financial report and accountability.
“The sponsorship is meant for organising games and training coaches and referees. Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, our calendar of events was adversely affected, resulting in a lot of cancellations to our scheduled games. We then used the bulk of the money to empower our athletes,” he said.
Seiphetlho further told Voice Sport that although FNBB are their main sponsors, they still allow them to source other sponsors.
“Sponsorship negotiations with a reputable mobile network provider are at an advance stage,” revealed Seiphetlho.
COACHES
He further told Voice Sport that the association is currently running a coaching course for netball coaches in collaboration with Botswana Netball Association (BONA), which will end on July 28th. The virtual course, which is done every Sunday from 4 to 7pm, has attracted 40 participants from different parts of the country. He attributed this good attendance to the fact that most of the tertiary schools are on semester break.
“We recently held referee courses for tertiary students in collaboration with the Botswana Football Association. BFA provided us with the technical expertise, accommodation, training facilities and equipment. We are going to have a database of these referees and coaches on our website so that we can monitor their progress as they go for advanced courses. They will also officiate in our games,’ added the BOTESSA mouthpiece.
Meanwhile, FNBB BOTESSA in partnership with Gaborone University College awarded 11 athletes scholarships to pursue courses of their own choice. Beneficiaries will enrol for their Certificate programme with an option for a diploma and degree progression.