Tax collectors ignite sponsorship drive, revive stadium push
Partnership. L-R; URA Corporate Service Commissioner Kariisa, chairman Galya hold the new look URA jersey with Hema officials at Nakawa. PHOTO /JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
- That is set to fade after Hema Beverage company redefined the partnership with the Tax Collectors to include securing a slot on their shirt sleeves in a two-year contract signed yesterday.
For years, URA FC has been trying to solve a sponsorship riddle; forming financial partnerships from companies that the club’s mother body taxes.
That is set to fade after Hema Beverage company redefined the partnership with the Tax Collectors to include securing a slot on their shirt sleeves in a two-year contract signed yesterday. According to Hema Water marketing official, Robert Kigula, the latest pact is better than the earlier one they signed in 2015.
“The Hema water log will be printed on the URA jerseys henceforth. We have worked together before and we are happy to continue the partnership.
“We shall endeavor to support URA in all aspects of the game and we want to help develop the talent of Ugandan youths to compete on the international scene,” Kigula revealed as the deal was signed at the URA head offices in Nakawa.
He maintained that the partnership will be accompanied by logistical aid because at the moment it is hard to quantify in monetary terms.
“We will be supplying water for matches and training, but we will support the team in many other ways. Relationships can be reviewed as we did earlier in 2015. As we have seen this season, URA stands for our brand values and it’s why we supported them to give us visibility,” he added.
Micah Galya, the club chairman, emphasized that the Hema Water sponsorship is just one of the many they intend to unveil this season including bumper deals from Cairo and the US.
“URA is going to introduce a new-look jersey and we hope this will ignite the team’s performance. “Water has been our biggest expenditure item, and we believe it is now solved. We expect more sponsors from the US and Cairo soon on top of plans to construct our own stadium that are in high gear,” Galya stressed. He said that the initial construction phase at the projected stadium in Bugema will require about Shs500m.
The Corporate Services Commissioner at URA Richard Kariisa said they intend to have the club raking in its own budget money with sponsorships.
“We have a mission of making URA FC sustainable and I must commend the management for this milestone. We appreciate that in Uganda today the youth constitute 75 percent of the population so we aim to engage them through football. We pledge integrity and accountability in this partnership with Hema,” Kariisa revealed. The four-time StarTimes Uganda premier league champions haven’t hit the ground running this campaign, garnering 22 points from 13 matches to sit seventh on the log.
