Glo: Stimulating African development through sports sponsorships
Being a people-oriented company, Globacom strives to identify with social responsibility causes in all the markets where it operates. Although its focus at the moment includes job creation and youth empowerment, it is in the area of sports development that it has distinguished itself. Globacom is fast emerging as the biggest supporter of sports in Africa, with huge investments in football development and athletics.
NIGERIAN PREMIER LEAGUE
Globacom has a vision to transform football in Africa to world class standards. That the Nigerian Premier League is today rated the best league in Africa is a tribute to the company’s efforts in this regard. Globacom has since 2003 been the sponsor of the Nigerian Premier League and it has thus far spent over N4 billion in annual rights fee and promotion of the league. Following the successful renewal of the title rights fee in 2006, the annual sponsorship fee is now over N800 million payable to the Nigeria Premier League Board for the administration of the competition.
The contributions of Globacom to the upliftment of the league standard reached a milestone in 2004, when a Nigerian club, Enyimba International FC, sponsored by Globacom, won the African Champions League and successfully defended the trophy the following year. It also marked the first time in the history of the competition that a club had won the competition back-to-back. The Globacom Premier League has continued to be the breeding platform for talented Nigerian players to express their skills and attract international recognition for contracts in European and Asian clubs.
A Globacom Premier League season spans a period of 38 weeks with breaks at Christmas and mid-season. Twenty clubs compete for honours in the league with the bottom four dropping out to the Professional League while the top two earn tickets to compete in the Confederation of Africa Champions League. The third placed team competes in the Confederation Cup. Globacom has added colour and prestige to the league with the introduction of custom made all-crystal trophy for the winner that in addition receives N5million. The prize money is being reviewed to N20million from the 2009/2010 season.
GHANA PREMIER LEAGUE
Believing that a corporate entity has obligations to the society where it operates beyond profit making, Globacom has, even before starting business in Ghana, taken up the sponsorship of the country’s Premier League and national football teams. It is also the sponsor of Ghana’s Football Supporters’ Club. The company plans to replicate its success with Nigeria’s Premier League with Ghana’s league.
