Seabata Mahao
Giant Life insurances service company Metropolitan Lesotho has partnered with four of Lesotho’s premier league teams for the Supporters’ Funeral Schemes in move to boost their financial statuses to improve their competitiveness in the topflight league.
The initiative which is expected to also increase the teams’ fan base and create employment in the teams’ home towns, has been extended to the teams seen as smaller having contested for the topflight league with few to no sponsors at all thus making competing against some of the league super powers an arduous feat.
The schemes which have been named after the recipient teams are Liphakoe FC Funeral Scheme, Swallows FC Funeral Scheme, Manonyane FC Funeral Scheme and Lija-Batho FC Funeral Scheme. The premium starts from as little as M25 per policy per month of which every M5 per policy will be going towards the teams’ development.
Head of Life Policy at Metropolitan Lesotho, Seenyane Nthejane said the four premier league teams proposed the initiative to Metropolitan Lesotho two years ago but only now is it receiving a green light.
He said the funeral schemes belong to the football teams which they have backed up and as Metropolitan they urge the supporters to take the opportunity in order to grow their teams.
Nthejane also said the teams will have to choose the unemployed supporters to assist in the distribution and marketing of the funeral schemes as move to arrest the rampant unemployment scourge in the country.
Meanwhile, Metropolitan Lesotho will also be offering sporting kit sponsorship to the four teams for the next three years at an annually accruing rate of M50 000.00, M65 000.00 and M75 000.00 respectively.
Speaking at the launch event held at the company headquarters in Maseru this week, Insurance Consultant, Nyakallo Mokhele explained that, the funeral schemes have a cash back plan on premiums after two years of claim free and six months grocery. She said the M5.00 that goes to the teams are going to make a big difference towards the growth of each team.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the recipient teams, Swallows FC Brand Business Manager, Atang Tlopo said they are very grateful with the initiative because it will help cater for their financial obligations especially on the players, most of whom play the sport as only a hobby, adding that now teams are going to be able to make some money to give them something in order to make them as competitive as should be for premier league teams.
The contract between Metropolitan Lesotho and the teams is liable for renewal after three years within which time the teams will expectedly not be relying chiefly on gate-takings for their upkeep.
Metropolitan Lesotho is no newbie to soccer sponsorship as they also are one of the main sponsors of premier league giants Bantu FC whom they have been supporting for some time.
