- MD of Bank Gaborone says GU deserves nothing less
- GU’s Letsebe notes the eponymous coincidence of Gaborone in the names of the two entities
- BG’s Coetzee says football transcends boundaries worldwide
- The sponsorship is in tranches of P1m per season for three seasons
Commercial banking outfit, Bank Gaborone, has signed a P3 million sponsorship with current champions of the Botswana Football League (BFL) Gaborone United (GU), The Business Weekly Sports has established.
The sponsorship will see Bank Gaborone sponsoring GU with P1 million per season for the next three seasons. “This team deserves nothing less than P1 million from the bank; they have earned this investment,” said the MD of Bank Gaborone, Sybrand Coetzee, at the launch of the sponsorship in Gaborone this week.
“I am confident that this investment will add great value to GU operations. This P1 million sponsorship is the largest sports investment that we have made in Botswana since our inception in 2007.” Coetzee added that they decided to sponsor the ‘Money Machine,’ as GU is otherwise known, because the club gives the right platform to demonstrate the bank’s commitment to Botswana. “This GU sponsorship is in line with our purpose to be a connector of positive change,” he said.
“We can only effect this change with relationships built with our stakeholders. These relationships are important to us as they help us to offer Batswana opportunities and rewarding experiences.” Another factor in the decision of Bank Gaborone to sponsor football among other sporting codes is that “the beautiful game” remains the most popular sport in Botswana and the world. “The fact that this has an appeal that transcends all boundaries – including culture, race, religion and so forth – is all the more reason for us to take an active role in this development,” Coetzee said.
“Football also combines business, sportsmanship and a good dose of fun and you can achieve great heights through it.” Also speaking at the launch, Brand and Marketing Manager of the winning team, Herbert Letsebe, noted that the sponsorship is no fluke, considering the GU’s recent achievements. “Just recently, in a space of six months, we have won the BFL in absolute flair,” he said.
“We have successfully defended the Orange FA Cup in less than six months, that is, Season 2 and Season 3. The team has in recent years taken a recognisable lead in the road to professionalism, thus becoming the first team to have an efficiently-run office.” Letsebe added that it is therefore not surprising that GU should finds itself partnering with Bank Gaborone. “This is a glorious and historic moment for GU and Bank Gaborone; a perfect coincidence of two organisations that carry Gaborone in their names,” he said.
“Furthermore, they identify their brands in red and white. Indeed, a perfect coincidence that marks the beginning of a partnership for the good and benefit of GU and Bank Gaborone.” Meanwhile, GU is a BFL side that has proven over four decades since its establishment in 1967 that it is one of Botswana’s major soccer clubs. It has won the BPL League and tasted the glory of all the major cups and tournaments available in the domestic field in the 1960s, the ’70s, the ’80s and the ‘90s and was the first team to win the P1 million beMobile League (now known as BTC League) in 2008/9.
