League body ‘won’t accept’ sponsorship deal below Rwf 700m
Thursday, September 26, 2024
The Rwanda Premier League Board wants to open talks with potential sponsors with proposals that are above Rwf 700 million. Courtesy

The Rwanda Premier League Board has said it will be ready to open talks with potential sponsors only if their sponsorship proposals are above Rwf 700 million, Times Sport has learnt.

The league body is currently in search of new sponsors for the topflight league after their contract with Bralirwa’s Primus expired at the end of the 2023/24 season.

The brewer in March 2021 signed a four-year deal, reportedly worth Rwf 600 million, to sponsor the league which had since rebranded to Primus National league.

But since the deal expired, the league started a new season without a sponsor and it is reported that the current situation saw the monthly awards for best performing players and coaches are temporarily suspended.

After parting ways with Bralirwa, Rwanda Premier League is wooing banks and telecom companies among others to sponsor the league for at least one season.

According to sources, a number of companies are willing to provide financial backing to the league.

"Many companies are willing to sponsor the league but we are yet to agree on the terms of the sponsorship. We (Rwanda Premier League) need a sponsor to support the league until the end of the season, and later, we will negotiate how we can extend the deal to many more years,” an official at Rwanda Premier League told Times Sport.

"Getting a long-term sponsor is an alternative of boosting the team’s morale and work that is expected to change the way teams living,” he added.

While the League receives a broadcast coverage package of Rwf220 million a season from StarTimes, the official said that they are expecting to get a financial boost in excess of Rwf700 million from a yet-to-be confirmed telecommunication company and banks.

Should the deal materialize, each team could receive a share of Rwf30 million at the end of the season.