Football Stakeholders Forum established
An advocacy group known as the Football Stakeholders Forum was established on Thursday to try and rescue the 2016/17 football season.
A steering committee was elected on the same day to engage the Namibia Premier League (NPL) board of directors in an attempt to find a solution to the lack of sponsorship for the upcoming season.
The members are Nicholas Woody Jacobs, Olsen Kahiriri, Costa Khaiseb, Bobby Sissing, Alfred Ndyenge, Bertus Bock and Diego Katjikuru.
Their first meeting was to be held yesterday to map the way forward.
Speaking to Nampa on Friday, Jacobs said they would engage the NPL board on the issue as soon as possible.
The NPL board is largely made up of club owners and club chairpersons.
“We understand the task ahead, especially engaging the board of directors, who we hope will listen.
“We fully understand that legally they are not forced to listen to us, but we hope that for the sake of football they will give us a chance,” he said.
Jacobs said the forum suggested, among other things, to engage President Hage Geingob in an attempt to save football.
The forum is also considering requesting Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) to consider coming back on board as sponsors.
“If MTC can come back on board with the N$15 million which they had earlier committed, then I think it will give the NPL time to source money for the next season, rather than not having a football league for a full season,” Jacobs said.
Namibian football was left in the doldrums following the expiration of a sponsorship deal with MTC at the end of the 2015/16 season, with the subsequent failure by the league management to find a replacement sponsor.
The meeting held at a local school was attended by more than 50 people who included current and former players, members of the Namibia Football Players’ Union (Nafpu), coaches, businessmen, club owners, supporters and reporters.
NAMPA
A steering committee was elected on the same day to engage the Namibia Premier League (NPL) board of directors in an attempt to find a solution to the lack of sponsorship for the upcoming season.
The members are Nicholas Woody Jacobs, Olsen Kahiriri, Costa Khaiseb, Bobby Sissing, Alfred Ndyenge, Bertus Bock and Diego Katjikuru.
Their first meeting was to be held yesterday to map the way forward.
Speaking to Nampa on Friday, Jacobs said they would engage the NPL board on the issue as soon as possible.
The NPL board is largely made up of club owners and club chairpersons.
“We understand the task ahead, especially engaging the board of directors, who we hope will listen.
“We fully understand that legally they are not forced to listen to us, but we hope that for the sake of football they will give us a chance,” he said.
Jacobs said the forum suggested, among other things, to engage President Hage Geingob in an attempt to save football.
The forum is also considering requesting Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) to consider coming back on board as sponsors.
“If MTC can come back on board with the N$15 million which they had earlier committed, then I think it will give the NPL time to source money for the next season, rather than not having a football league for a full season,” Jacobs said.
Namibian football was left in the doldrums following the expiration of a sponsorship deal with MTC at the end of the 2015/16 season, with the subsequent failure by the league management to find a replacement sponsor.
The meeting held at a local school was attended by more than 50 people who included current and former players, members of the Namibia Football Players’ Union (Nafpu), coaches, businessmen, club owners, supporters and reporters.
NAMPA
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