By Philani Ndlela
Edited by Mamaili Mamaila
Premier Soccer League (PSL) team Maritzburg United Football Club (Maritzburg) and disaster response non-governmental organisation (NGO) Gift of the Givers Foundation (Gift of the Givers) have launched a first-of-its-kind partnership as far as the PSL and Africa at large are concerned.
Notably, the Maritzburg United–Gift of the Givers partnership is largely modeled around the social cohesion initiative – which was taken up in 2006 – between Spanish football giants FC Barcelona and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (the Barca-Unicef partnership).
This “unique” local partnership will ensure that the Gift of the Givers’ logo will be displayed on the club’s front jersey spot, as Maritzburg United’s leading title sponsor indefinitely, Maritzburg United chairman Farook Kadodia announced on Tuesday.
As such, the Gift of the Givers will enjoy a publicity boost during Maritzburg United’s matches in the DStv Premiership and its affiliated competitions, which are broadcast throughout the continent. Along with that, the foundation will have an advertising board at the Harry Gwala Stadium, in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) – the club’s home stadium – a spot that is often reserved as an additional privilege for title sponsors.
The foundation, which continues to extend its unconditional support to communities affected by disasters since its establishment in 1992, has led from the front during in its efforts in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic ever since it shook many quarters of the country and the world alike. Although the partnership has no financial benefit, Italian sports equipment manufacturer and Maritzburg United kit sponsor Lotto Sport has committed to donating a portion of the club’s merchandise sales back to the foundation.
Further, based in KZN’s capital city Pietermaritzburg, the club’s precarious financial situation is common knowledge to those in football circles. Kadodida did, however, not take kindly to those always looking to take advantage of this and attempting to sell the club without his knowledge.
Therefore, through this partnership, the Gift of the Givers hopes to attract more donors, while the club will look to clinch more sponsors. Maritzburg United will don the jersey for the first time on Saturday in an away PSL encounter against the Limpopo-based Baroka Football Club.
Meanwhile, Gift of the Givers founder Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman advanced that should the club manage to secure a new title sponsor, the foundation would not hesitate to remove its logo on the front jersey. Until then, Sooliman hopes the club fortunes change for the better.
The club – which finished in thirteenth position last season – is currently at the bottom of the log, having lost their first two matches of the season, and are still struggling to shrug off last season’s poor take off, where they lost all first six matches of the 2020/21 season.
Moreover, Maritzburg United player Bongokuhle Hlongwane – who was present at the announcement following his impressive display with the senior national team – recently shone a rather positive light for the club through his Bafana Bafana call-up, as well as his match-winning goal against Zimbabwe during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the freshly put together and rejuvenated national team.
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