On Wednesday, the domestic football governing body (GFA) signed a three-year sponsorship deal with betPawa, as they are now the headline sponsor of the Ghana Premier League.
The announcement was made at a special signing ceremony held at the Headquarters of the Ghana FA in Accra on Wednesday morning.
The betting firm, will however, invest a whopping $6 million in the Ghana Premier League for the three-year period.
In addition to the agreed-upon principal, the GFA will pay clubs a Locker Room Bonus for each match won.
A “betPawa Pitch” will be built in Prampram and will be rented out to clubs at a reduced rate.
The partnership between betPawa and the Ghana Football Association is aimed at properly marketing and positioning the elite league to become an African phenomenon as one of the most successful and attractive leagues on the continent.
Signing on behalf of betPawa, international superstar and betPawa stakeholder Mr Eazi highlighted that “the company’s high appetite for growing and harnessing talents, creating opportunities and rewarding fans across its markets are a few of the many reasons for partnering with the GFA”.
GFA President Mr Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku on his part commended betPawa for the partnership. “On behalf of the Executive Council and the football fraternity in Ghana I wish to thank you for your support”.
Mr Okraku further pointed out that Ghana is blessed with a lot of football talents and evidence is seen through the display of soccer artistry across the various leagues. He further stated that “for the country to be able to compete fiercely and on equal footing with other talents across the globe, there is the need for companies like betPawa and corporate Ghana to contribute to complement the effort of the Government.
betPawa have over the years been activating a lot of Corporate Socially Responsible activities aimed at championing responsible gaming, an action which is high on the corporate agenda of the company, empowering customers to be economically independent and helping to imbibe the spirit of philanthropism in customers across its markets. These CSR activities include the Dream Maker and WIN BIG, Give Back campaigns among many others.
The 2022/23 domestic top-flight campaign is scheduled to be launched on September 2 with the league kicking off on the weekend of September 9-12, 2022.
The Ghana Premier League last had a headline sponsor in 2018, when Zylofon Cash agreed to a $10 million deal.
However, the five-year agreement was abruptly terminated, and the league has been without a title sponsor for the last three seasons.
For all his achievements since assuming office, one of the drawbacks of the Kurt era has been a lack of a sponsor for the Ghana League.
Currently, there are low levels of remuneration in the Ghana league, leading to an exodus of the league’s finest players at the end of every football season.
Betting companies have recently taken an interest in Ghana football, with Betway also investing in the Women’s League.
They have also worked with the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) to organise a series of seminars for Division One League clubs and Women’s Football Administrators