Seychelles' top football division has been rebranded to Absa Premier League through a partnership agreement signed between the Absa Bank Seychelles and the Seychelles Football Federation (SFF).
The agreement was signed on Wednesday by the managing director of Absa Bank Seychelles, Nazim Mahmood, and the chief executive of the Seychelles Football Federation, Dennis Rose.
The agreement, which will last for two seasons, is for SCR 400,000 ($29,300) per year and is renewable at the end of the second season. The money will go towards all costs relating to running the country's Premier League division, such as travel expenses for the teams travelling between the islands, and other payments related to officials, ball boys, and security, among others.
Rose said, "The contract we signed today will go beyond corporate sponsorship, which is generally more transactional. We will enter into a partnership in which we shall collaborate on initiatives and activities during and surrounding the Absa Premier League."
This is not the first time the bank has partnered with the SFF, as in the past, under its previous name, Barclays Bank Seychelles, it regularly sponsored the top division until 2016.
Speaking to reporters, the managing director of Absa Seychelles, explained that it was after seeing the huge interest in football across the country that the decision was made to get involved again.
"The more I was passing by Anse Etoile or anywhere else, we were seeing football as a significant element in making people's lives happier, and we want to be in a position to resonate with most of our customers," said Mahmood.
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He added that this partnership can help bring football to a higher level, and also encourage more companies and institutions to get involved.
Through the agreement, Absa will also present a monthly award called Absa Player of the Month. There will also be prizes at the end of the season for the best goalkeeper, best defender, best midfielder, and best striker.
The last time the bank, then under the brand Barclays Bank, signed an agreement with the SFF was in 2007 but in 2016 it withdrew its sponsorship. The withdrawal was due to a reduction in shareholding in the Barclays Africa Group Limited (BAGL).
SeyPearl was the official sponsor of the leagues after Barclays but in the past few years, the SFF has not had a main sponsor for the leagues.
