Betika announced a Ksh 90 million partnership with the Football Kenya Federation to sponsor the National Super League (NSL) in a 3-year partnership deal effective November 2019.
The league which is now known as Betika National Super League comprises 20 Kenyan grassroots football teams competing for the coveted winners’ cup during the September 2019 to May 2022 season.
The sponsorship deal was announced through the ‘Betika Na Community Initiative’, which aims to invest in the youth by nurturing talent through sports, arts and culture events.
Under the sponsorship, each of the 20 competing teams gets Ksh 750,000 per annum and in-kind provision of balls, nets and other sports equipment. Through the sponsorship, Betika is the sole and official grassroots football partner for FKF with Ksh 45M going directly to financing grassroots football activities across the 47 counties.
Speaking at a press conference to announce the partnership, Mr. John Mbatiah, the firm’s Commercial Head said, “This partnership confirms our commitment to investing in the community through sports, arts, and culture with football being a key focus. Through this, we aim to improve the standards of the game as we nurture talent both at the grassroots and national levels. We also believe we can influence positive change among the youth through creating an atmosphere of talents and skills development in sports. These are the same players who will hopefully steer Kenya to qualify for the 2022 World Cup”.
FKF President, Mr. Nick Mwendwa, lauded Betika for coming on board at a crucial time by saying, “We mark yet another milestone through the Betika and NSL partnership for our clubs which we believe will go a long way towards not only easing the clubs’ financial obligations but also increasing the leagues’ monetary incentive.” He also noted that with the increase in the level of competition among the teams, the league has greatly improved in performance.
In addition to the National Super League sponsorship, Betika organizes tournaments for grassroots football teams under its ‘Betika Na Community’ initiative. The ‘Betika Na Community’ has now grown into a massive movement with huge following across the country with sports lovers taking to the firm’s social media pages to enquire where the initiative is going next. Betika continues to reaffirm its commitment in holding similar tournaments across the country in 2020.