Women’s football seeks a sponsor Gertze challenges corporates to invest in women While trying to reach out to as many girls as they can, the NFA Women’s Desk is in dire need of a sponsor. KAINO NGHITONGOWhile everyone’s attention is on the Namibia Premier League’s struggle to find a sponsor, the Namibia Football Association’s Women Super League finds itself in the same predicament.
The head of the NFA Women’s Desk, Jacky Gertze, told Sport Wrap that despite the fast growing interest from female footballers, with over 350 footballers in the league, there is still no sponsor for them.
“We have 370 senior players in this league alone, while in the youth leagues that are played all over the country we have 3 800 young girls playing league football,” she pointed out, adding that women’s football is in enormous need of sponsorship.
She said sponsors often say they do not want to get involved in ad hoc and one-off events. “Here you have women’s football, which has done everything right, so what’s the delay?
“As a chairperson of women’s football, I am very disappointed in the lack of support from the corporate institutions in Namibia.
“People simply ignore the value of sport, yet they make so much money from our footballers who buy their products,” she said.
She added that they only need N$5 million annually to run the development leagues, national competitions, the Women’s Super League, regional leagues and cover administration costs.
“The overall value of women’s football per season with Brave Gladiators included stands at N$37 million. That''s nationwide programmes from development to elite, but we are asking for N$5 million per year, and we can give you more back,” she promised.
She said she is quite sure that companies can afford a sponsorship of that size.
“Judging from how many of us as mothers, sisters, daughters, cousins and as siblings buy groceries, toiletries, airtime, stationery, clothing, medical supplies and household furniture every day of our lives, I think they can afford this.
“So it’s time for Namibian companies to give back to women in sport, but in the meantime we will continue to engage with the different companies and NGOs and hopefully they will support us, because we have a lot to do as the women’s game grows day by day,” said Gertze.
She said they are currently reaching 15 000 young girls in ten communities through the development programme Galz & Goals and will be expanding to Oshana and Zambezi in March 2017.