Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
UTANDE Internet Services have extended and increased their sponsorship to Highlanders to $6 million for the next six months with the club set to get $1 million per month.
The deal was announced at the club’s offices on Friday.
The signing ceremony was attended by Highlanders chairman, Johnfat Sibanda and Utande chief executive officer, Never Ncube, Highlanders’ vice-chairman Fiso Siziba, committee member Mgcini Mafu and acting chief executive officer Ronald Moyo.
Former Highlanders treasurer Odiel Nkomo, who is the Utande regional manager was also part of the proceedings.
The initial deal, worth $3,6 million was signed at the end of August last year.
Funds from Utande were meant to pay salaries for Highlanders players from September last year to the end of this month.
When Sakunda Holdings came in as Highlanders main sponsor in September last year, which saw the energy company take care of salaries for players, Bosso activated a clause in the deal with Utande to divert the funds from the internet service provider to other budget lines of the club.
Ncube said they had extended their stay at Highlanders because they see a great future in working with the club.
“We are impressed with how Highlanders have conducted themselves in the six months that we have worked together.
As Utande we have seen our brand and demand for our services grow since we engaged Highlanders.
It is the professionalism that the club has displayed that has convinced us to extend our stay.
We are not a one year wonder. We are here to stay.
“From the onset we wanted to have a relationship with Highlanders that goes beyond six months but like anything that is new, you always want to make sure the relationship is cordial and there is professionalism.
I think we found that in Highlanders in the last six months.
The professionalism at the club aligns with our values and ethos.
Sometime in November last year we were already talking about how we can extend this partnership,” said Ncube.
The Utande logo is going to be seen just behind the neck of the Highlanders playing shirt and also on the shorts.
Commenting on the coming in of Sakunda, Ncube said: “We were never under pressure when Sakunda came on board.
The Highlanders executive clarified things to us and we realised that at times its a case of the more the merrier as long as both parties are treated fairly,” said Ncube.
Sibanda explained how they managed to keep Utande on board even with the coming in of Sakunda.
“This is an extension of a partnership that was birthed last year in September, with the initial arrangement being that Utande were to pay salaries for our first team players for six months.
The arrangement was altered when Sakunda Holdings came in as our main sponsor as they took over the payment of players salaries among other responsibilities.
We then agreed with Utande to use funds that were meant for salaries to meet other financial obligations,” said Sibanda.
He said Utande came on board at a time when not only Highlanders but brand “football” in general was less attractive to corporates who in all fairness, would have derived little or no value from partnering or sponsoring football.
“It was a period of uncertainty — a period when football had just returned to fanless stadia thus limiting sponsors’ brand visibility, which in actual sense, is the ultimate goal for any corporate that sponsors football or sports in general,” said Sibanda.
-@innocentskizoe
Online Reporter