SKC prods Malawi Council of Sports for innovation to court private sector sponsorship

Vice-President Saulos  Kalus Chilima  has challenged the Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) to be innovative and start thinking outside the box if the council is to attract sponsors from the private sector.

Chilima, fondly known by his initials SKC,  lamented the deteriorating standards of sports in the country, stressing that the council has a huge task revitalize all the sporting disciplines in the country.

The country’s second-in-command made the remarks after his official engagement with MNCS.

“MNCS is implementing two reforms, the first one being the introduction of Physical Education (PE) in primary schools; and the introduction of Automated Gate Fee Collection system in stadia.

“To this effect, I have suggested that the council must brainstorm on how it can court the private sector back into sponsorship of various sporting disciplines but at the same time there is also need to brand the corporate image of the sports sector to instil confidence in prospective sponsors,” Chilima said.

The Vice-President added that he had also welcomed the reform area on automated gate fee collection systems to reflect modernity as well as to curb abuse of funds.

Chilima was, however, quick to state that this will require total commitment from the council and other stakeholders owing to resistance by those that thrive on gate collection money at the expense of players.

“The first reform area aims at instilling a sporting culture in pupils as well as preparing  a physically and mentally nation. Setting the ground for implementation, the council is taking stock of all sporting facilities in schools as well as the number of trained PE teachers available in the country,” said Chilima.

The council is also lobbying the Ministry of Education to set a policy mandating recreational facilities as one condition for registering schools.

On this point, Chilima said they agreed that besides this reform, there should be a holistic effort to rejuvenate sports in the country.

The Veep, who is also Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms, said the general feeling among Malawians is that the country has regressed instead of progressing.

“We need to reach the level of exporting talent to Europe and other top flight leagues across the globe just like other African countries are doing including our neighbours.

“Moving foward, I have advised the council to identify new reforms on financial sustainability so that in the long run the institution wanes itself from treasury dependence. I have also advised the council to stand up and be counted,” said Chilima.

He said  as a government parastatal responsible for sports in the country, MNCS must raise its relevance and not play second fiddle.

“We need a rebirth of the council that breathes life and energy in sporting activities across the country. To this effect, we have requested that the council shares with us their strategic plan so that the reforms department can give proper guidance on the way forward,” he explained.

Chilima said he expects the council to recast the reforms, add the new reforms basing on input and then resubmit with a roadmap for implementation with clear timelines.

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