Be MOBILE, Premier League to ink P22.5m deal

MQONDISI DUBE
Staff Writer | Tuesday April 5, 2011 00:00

 

The Botswana Premier League (BPL) and mobile phone services provider, be MOBILE, have concluded a new sponsorship deal reportedly worth P22.5 million that will be inked next week, Mmegi Sport can exclusively reveal.

Both parties confirmed that a deal had been struck following months of negotiations although there was no official confirmation on the figures.

However, sources close to the developments said be MOBILE has upped its amount to P22.5million from the P15 million that it paid the BPL in the first three seasons of the contract.

Be MOBILE took over as the Premier League sponsor at the beginning of the 2008/2009 season and immediately broke new ground by hiking the winners' cheque from P120, 000 to P1 million. The contract between the two lapses at the end of the season.

Be MOBILE was quick to exercise its option to renew the deal when it engaged the BPL in talks late last year.In the new deal, it is reported that the prize money is unlikely to be altered with the winners walking away with P1 million. A new development might be the introduction of monthly grants for clubs, which consistently face financial constraints.

Premier League Committee (PLC) chairperson, Mike Molefe referred queries regarding the deal to BPL general manager, Phuthego Setete. Setete could only confirm that the two parties have agreed on a new deal but refused to disclose figures.

'We have agreed, for anything else talk to the chairman (Molefe),' Setete said.

BTC head of communications and marketing, Anno Tshipa said the deal had been concluded although some loose ends are being tied. Sources said the deal was supposed to be signed today but was postponed at the request of the BPL.

The signing will now take place in Gaborone next week.