TN beverages and the National Association of Primary Schools Heads (NAPH) yesterday unveiled a $200 000 sponsorship package for an Under-14 football tournament over the next two years.
BY GARISH PHIRI
The beverages manufacturers will sponsor the tournament through its Premier Plus Mahewu brand, where they expect to help in the growth of the game at grassroots level.
“We have launched this programme so that we market these youngsters through the Premier Plus Mahewu Soccer Tournament that will run for two years. After that, we will consider renewal of the deal,” said the company’s director, Tawanda Nyambirai said at the launch function yesterday.
The Education minister Paul Mavima (pictured) was delighted with the initiative, which he said was in line with new curriculum, which encourages sport.
“Sport has become an integral part in our updated curriculum, its no longer an extra curriculum activity but it is part and parcel of our new curriculum. We launched the new curriculum, we had a quite a number of people say that you are taking away time from academics and giving to sports, mass display and arts, but those voices were failing to realise that education is not really just about academics. Education that is good for a nation is supposed to be wide as possible in order to cater for the talents,” he said.
Mavima said that the deal was beneficial to both TN and the schools.
“I know it’s also a marketing tool for you (TN) but as you market and make profits, you are also contributing seriously to the development of sport in Zimbabwe and you are also developing a nation. So we applaud you for this contribution. We want to thank you for the gesture and also NAPH for the development of sports”.
