Twizza to sponsor Seven Stars
Travel, prep, kit all covered
For the first time in the history of local football club Seven Stars FC, beverage company Twizza Pty Ltd was announced as its first major title sponsor for the 2022/23 season.
The proclamation, which was one for the books for the long-existing club, was made on Monday morning at the company’s Komani office.
Twizza will spend around R250,000 to ensure travel costs, preparations for upcoming games and the provision of a team kit and other sportswear are taken care of, after Seven Stars approached the company to get on board as a sponsor.
Twizza CEO Lisle Clark also revealed that contributing stock would be sold to help striker Shaydon Rowland, who made the final squad for the Africa2Europe tour, which travels to Turkey early next year.
To seal the deal, three of the club’s top players, Shaydon Rowland, Fuzo Zantsi and Jerome Draghoender, are to become Twizza brand ambassadors.
Built on a dream to keep young people out of substance abuse 23 years ago by chair Jan Draghoender together with coach Yongama Kepkey and the team, Seven Stars has been one of the most successful clubs in the district, convincingly reaching promotion to the ABC Motsepe league.
“As a club, we have been serving this community for more than two decades,” Draghoender said.
“However, we knew we would not be able to continue making the fundamental difference we wanted without a large, caring and socially responsible partner like Twizza.
“We are therefore very happy and grateful to our new sponsor for joining our family because their contribution will definitely alleviate some of our team’s financial and operational obligations,” he said.
“With the funding from Twizza, we will also be able to meet the team’s fitness and travel requirements when participating in the league.”
Clark said he was proud to be associated with a club that was evidently contributing positively in the community.
“The thing that really resonated with me and the reason why I wanted to do it was because of values.
“Essentially the sponsorship is about values and one of our core values at Twizza is growing together. We upskill our employees to be the best versions of themselves and we like to play leading roles in the community we serve.
“When I look at the role Seven Stars has played in the community, in taking young aspirational teenagers and young adults, keeping them off the street and giving them a hope for the future and making them work together as a team to achieve something special, that is something that resonates with us at Twizza.”
Being one of the biggest employers in the district, Chris Hani District Municipality deputy mayor Noncedo September-Caba applauded the company’s economic contribution in the district.
“It is great to know that we have a company of this calibre in our midst as a district. Twizza plays a big role in terms of assisting the community, individuals, organised structures and the churches and employing hundreds of people, changing and improving the lives of many.”