Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) has upped its commercialisation drive during hosting of the Africa Netball Cup at Griffin Saenda Indoor Sports Complex in Lilongwe from Monday to December 14 as a stepping stone with the launch of Queens replica shirts. For the first time, NAM has introduced Malawi Queens’ replicas and gate charges ahead of the week-long continental showpiece and NAM general secretary Yamikani Kauma-Khungwa yesterday said the success of the initiative will determine continuity. She said the association has come up with 340 replicas to be sold during the tournament and introduced the gate charges as part of a broader commercialisation strategy.
“This approach is not a one-off thing. It is part of NAM’s long-term strategy to strengthen netball’s financial sustainability,” said Kauma-Khungwa. When asked if this means domestic competitions such as the inaugural national league, the FDH Netball Premiership, she said it will depend on its viability and the sponsors’ nod.
“We will also look at the capabilities of our netball infrastructures. The Saenda Indoor Sports Complex is an easy kill for the rolling out of gate charges due to its magnificence and security issues. Its outlook is good for netball monetisation.
[paywall]
“In spite of that, we will roll out gate charges to domestic competitions if we see that the sponsors are keen. As netball grows, it is really worth the good revenue,” said Kauma-Khungwa. She said while final projections are still being refined on how much they expect from the replicas and the gates.
“We anticipate meaningful returns from the sale of replicas over the tournament period. Once the event concludes and all reconciliations are complete, NAM will provide a full financial report,” said Kauma-Khungwa. Meanwhile, Africa Netball Cup local organising committee chairperson Limbani Matola yesterday said they have so far made significant progress on closing in on the competition’s K200 million deficit. “Through intensified stakeholder engagements, additional sponsorship commitments and internal re-allocations, we have reduced the deficit substantially to around K50 million,” he said.
[/paywall]
