New year blues
It never rains for Mighty Wanderers, but it pours. The Nomads sang New Year blues yesterday when their former sponsor Be Forward Limited turned down a request for a relief package following the termination of their contract.
Wanderers requested for a transitional package from the Japanese second-hand motor vehicle dealer to keep them afloat for three months as they hunt for new sponsors.
But club chairperson Symon Sikwese and Be Forward Limited sponsorship coordinator Mike Butao yesterday confirmed that the move did not work out.
Said the Nomads boss: “Be Forward has turned down the request. So, we will proceed with change of name and colours.”
Sikwese also said they will intensify their hunt for a new partner/sponsor.
“All is not lost, we’ll now have to engage an extra gear in the search for a new partner/sponsor. We are already in talks with a few organisations and companies,” he said.
On his part, Butao who played a vital role in securing the sponsorship five years ago, said: “It is true, they have rejected. We really did try, but it appears Be Forward have been hit hard by effects of Covid-19 and the situation appears to be getting even worse.
“They have said that maybe in future, when the situation improves, they might consider coming back as sponsors.”
There was still a year left on the contract, but the two parties agreed to a mutual termination after Be Forward said they could not continue to bankroll the club due to effects of Covid-19.
Be Forward were sponsoring the Lali Lubani Road outfit to the tune of $200 000 (about K155 million) annually against the club’s projected K250 million budget.
The sponsorship was channelled towards salaries and the club had to source funds to cater for other operations such as game bonuses.
About two months ago, the Nomads also knocked on FDH Bank’s door in search of sponsorship, but were turned down.
Football analyst Humphrey Mvula, who is also the club’s former chairperson, yesterday said going forward, the Nomads should organise their house.
He said: “Wanderers has rich human capacity that can help the team. So, they need to open up and reach out to potential sponsors, their fan base and people that matter.
“The club has numbers and that is the gold for the team because serious business entities look at its fan base when considering partnerships or sponsorships. They look at it from a business perspective, that is why Nyasa Manufacturing Company partnered with Nyasa Big Bullets because they saw value.
“They need to come up with ideal fundraising initiatives. Considering the current economic climate, the first step would be to engage potential co-sponsors with sound proposals.”
The Nomads are the oldest team on the domestic scene, having been formed in 1962 and delight in the glory of being one of the country’s football powerhouses.
They were previously sponsored by Stansfield Motors from 1960s to early 1970s when they were known as Mighty Yamaha Wanderers before Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company took over sponsorship in the 1970s and rebranded to ‘Mighty’ Limbe Leaf Wanderers.
The Nomads were later on sponsored by Malawi Telecommunications Limited and changed their name to Mighty Telekom Wanderers and later on Mighty MTL Wanderers.
They were also briefly sponsored by Carlsberg Malawi alongside their arch-rivals Bullets before Be Forward took over sponsorship a couple years later.
