Limbe Leaf Tobacco trophy sponsorship increased to K5m

Most sponsors have a tendency of putting sports administrators and their athletes in suspense after conclusion of tournaments but tobacco leaf buyer and processor Limbe Leaf Malawi have chosen to be different by announcing straight away that the stakes for the country’s oldest sports competition - Limbe Leaf Trophies – have been raised from K3 million to K5 million beginning next season. Limbe Leaf’s Corporate Services Manager Willie Zingani made the announcement Sunday, July 8, 2012 at Nankhaka ground in Area 30, where the tobacco firm splashed out cash prizes to winners of this year’s competition after the final games.


 Stakes high 


 “This year we have sponsored the competition to the tune of K3 million but from next year, we are raising the stakes to K5 million. Our aim, as Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company is to assist the government in its youth development programmes,” said Zingani. Zingani said Limbe Leaf was proud to be associated with the success achieved by the country’s national football and netball teams and would continue providing a nursery for the national teams. He said it is now over 32 years since they started sponsoring the tournament. Zingani said in that period, the competition has produced such great stars as Young Chimodzi, Gilbert Chirwa, John Maduka and Joseph Kamwendo. 


Government thankful 


 Guest of honour at the finals Principal Secretary for Youth Development and Sports Alex Mseka thanked Limbe Leaf for remaining government’s strategic partner in the development of sports from grassroots for close to four decades. “I have been reliably informed that Limbe Leaf has been sponsoring these competitions for over 35 years now and that the competition has produced some reputable sportsmen, some of whom have ventured into coaching and administration,” said Mseka. He said sports plays an important role is the social and economic development of the country beside promoting good health. The PS said the country needs serious sponsors like Limbe Leaf to sustain the development of football and netball.