๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ โ The South Sudan Football Federation (SSFF) has officially called on private companies and corporate bodies to invest heavily in the countryโs sports sector through sponsorships and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
The call was made during the conclusion of a comprehensive three-day Annual Season Review Workshop, which brought together key stakeholdersโincluding government dignitaries, corporate executives, coaches, referees, players, and sports administratorsโto address the bottlenecks hindering football growth in South Sudan.
๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐
In his closing remarks, Mr. Edward Setimo, the Director General of Sports at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, reiterated the governmentโs unwavering commitment to developing the athletic sector to foster national unity among the youth.
The ministry is doing its level best to ensure that sports are adequately funded by the government to promote unity among our youth,โ Edward stated, while simultaneously urging private-sector entities to step up their investment.
He assured stakeholders that the ministry would continue to escalate challenges faced by the sports sector directly to the Council of Ministers. Notably, he revealed that the government recently approved a dedicated budget to support the international participation of both the national football and basketball teams.
๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฌ
SSFF President Mr. Francis Amin Michael pressed for closer collaboration between private enterprises and sports governing bodies, particularly through strategic sponsorships.
According to the President, the insights gained from the three-day workshop will be instrumental in dismantling the barriers that have historically hindered partnerships between corporations and the federation.
To sweeten the deal for potential investors, Mr. Amin revealed that the federation is working around the clock on a major infrastructure upgrade:
The Project: Installation of stadium floodlights.
The Goal: To facilitate night matches, thereby increasing football activities.
The Corporate Benefit: Extended broadcasting and match-day visibility, significantly widening advertisement opportunities for corporate brands.
Mr. Amin concluded by extending his gratitude to companies already backing the vision, including Tristar, MTN, Bebeto Coach Services, SouthOne TV, Eco Bus and Dash Bet South Sudan.
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ
Corporate leaders present at the workshop expressed strong optimism about the trajectory of South Sudanese football.
Tristar Company: Country Director Ravneesh Aujla praised the SSFFโs strides in professionalizing the sport, highlighting the introduction of the South Sudan Premier League and the upcoming launch of the South Sudan Womenโs Premier League. Mr. Aujla reaffirmed Tristarโs readiness to maintain its robust partnership with the federation.
MTN: Henry Njoroge, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN, commended the SSFFโs resilience and commitment to grassroots development despite operating under challenging conditions. He assured the federation of MTNโs continued support for the Premier League, hinting at a potential expansion of their sponsorship portfolio into other areas of the sport.
