By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Premier League Board (PLB) has signed a deal with the telecommunication giant Orange SL. The deal entails that the operator supports the Sierra Leone Premier League with advertising and marketing.
Chairman of the PLB, Alie Vandy Koroma, confirmed the deal with Politico on Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the agreement was signed.
As part of the deal, Orange will support the league with media platforms, reports on the league via SMS and other value additional services.
“They will report on the league via the bulk SMS that they send, plus Le100 million cash has been given. They will also do value added services on our behalf like the Awoko [newspaper] SMS updates, then we will share the proceeds,” Koroma said.
The deal comes as a huge boost for a board that has been desperately looking for cash to fund its innovative plans. Koroma told Politico last month that they were targeting to raise Le8 billion to fund the league.
Already the board has provided Le75million to each of the 14 teams participating in the 2019/2020 league.
Last weekend during the launch of the league, Koroma made an open call for business houses to partner with the Board. This deal means his call has been answered.
However, the Board will need far more support compared to what it has been given by the telecom giant. But this deal is sure to provide a much-needed revenue stream.
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