The Jwaneng-based side took home P750,000 as the winner's cheque, which represents a 25% reduction from last season's prize money. As the elite football recaps the just-ended campaign, preparations for the upcoming season have been said to be already in full motion. The Botswana Football League (BFL) bosses will once again be on the tedious road, in the hunt for sponsorship and the target is an additional P5 million to the existing deals in order to efficiently run the league. At the start of the 2022-2023 season, the BFL announced a total of P25 million in sponsorship deals. The Department of Broadcasting Services (BDS) poured in P23 million for three years.
The just-ended campaign saw BFL utilise P7 million, while P8 million will be used in each of the two coming seasons. The P7 million was in addition to the P1.7 million cheque from commercial bank, Absa Botswana. Despite the figures, the BFL had said it would struggle to pay monthly grants and had not guaranteed prize money at the start of the season.
Sources close to proceedings have disclosed to Mmegi Sport that an additional P5 million is a must. Reports indicate that a large chunk of the sponsorship money is swallowed up by administrative costs. The sources said the addition of P5 million will help in mostly referees’ payments and could see an increase in prize money paid to clubs. “(The amount needed) is believed to be around P5 million, at least. This will be in addition to the Botswana Televion (Btv) deal and the Absa deal if it is renewed. With P5 million, the league champions are projected to get at least P1.7 million. The referees also take a larger chunk of the money, so this will also help to pay the referees without a hassle,” the source disclosed.
Mmegi Sport is informed that potential sponsors are keeping their expenditure tight and the BFL could wait a bit longer to reach their targets. “The CEO has been busy; he has been running around knocking on doors. There are promises here and there but nothing concrete. As the situation remains as is, with the corporate world not willing to spend much, the BFL might be open to having a cohort of sponsors contributing to the needed funds. You must remember that the just-ended season did not have a title sponsor and we might find ourselves in the same situation in the coming season. The ideal situation is to have a premier sponsor and smaller sponsors assisting in funding the league operations,” the source said.
