LOOKING FOR FINANCIAL MUSCLE

BAM chief takes potential sponsors on tour of ABM

BAM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria is not waiting until the last minute to do his courting. On Tuesday, he hosted an entourage of potential sponsors for the national body, led by Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) president, Tan Sri Ter Leong Yap, at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.

With several major sponsorships coming to an end soon, Norza wants to ensure BAM remain stable financially, as they prepare for the next Olympic cycle.

Currently, BAM’s two major sponsors are sports equipment brand Victor and Celcom Axiata.

With Victor, BAM have a six-year deal worth RM60 million, while with Celcom Axiata, a four-year deal worth RM34 million.

After giving his guests a tour of the national training centre which houses both the national senior and junior shuttlers, Norza told the media: “As president, I have to find ways to bring in money.

“Monetising our facilities is one of the many ways to do it.

“We’re trying to get more corporate companies to come on board. It can be in the form of sponsoring the courts or naming rights for the building.

“I invite my business associates every now and then to show them what we have and what we do here at ABM.

“Previously, we were only looking after senior and back-up players, but now we also have juniors all placed under one roof at ABM. We even showed our guests the classrooms where the juniors do their home schooling.

“As ACCCIM president, Tan Sri Ter (Leong Yap) is well connected with many businessmen, hopefully he could help us by putting in a good word.

“In these trying times, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s imperative for us to try get more private sponsors on board and reduce reliance on funding from the government.”

According to Norza, a strong financial backing is crucial as BAM aspire to be a badminton powerhouse again.

“I would say we’re financially stable right now. But if we want to conquer the world, we must be ready with strong financial power.

“One of our goals is to fast track some of our juniors, we want to send them to tournaments regularly like we do with the seniors. We’re looking at sending them to 1215 tournaments a year. If they do well, they will move up fast on the world rankings.

“I have made it clear that we no longer rank the players based on their age and years in the team. It will be solely on world rankings,” Norza added.