The National Basketball League (NBL) has received a partnership boost from Stanbic Bank Uganda ahead of the 2023 season tip-off this weekend.
Stanbic Bank will be injecting UGX 120M into the NBL each year for three years, with Flexy Pay which is Stanbic’s brand, now the online payment platform to sell matchday tickets.
Commenting on the development on Thursday, Kenneth Agutamba, Stanbic Bank’s Head of Communications said, “we are pleased to announce this sponsorship which is a continuation of our longstanding partnership with FUBA and the general sports fraternity.
“Our purpose at Stanbic is to drive Uganda’s growth and we know that sports have the potential to create millions of direct and indirect jobs for many young people who are the majority. Today, we are pleased to be extending our support to basketball whose global market is predicted to reach USD 630.66 Million by 2030 and are keen to see our talented players bringing some of this value into the Ugandan economy,” said Agutamba.
Nasser Sserunjogi, the President of FUBA said Stanbic Bank has supported the game for a long time and was pleased that this support is being extended to the National League.
“We are glad to have Stanbic a sponsor of this popular league for the next three years and we hope that many young Ugandans will use it as an opportunity to showcase their talent and expose themselves to opportunities to play basketball professionally,” he said.
Flavia Oketcho, one of Uganda’s best known female basketball players has welcomed the partnership with Stanbic and hopes to see more corporate support extended towards sports development in Uganda.
“The National League is an opportunity to groom talent that will see Uganda take part in more international competitions, I therefore thank Stanbic Bank for recognizing the importance of this to thousands of young people who will benefit from this extra push,” said Oketcho.
The sponsorship will support the top women and men league dubbed NBL whose games are played on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at different places including Lugogo Indoor Stadium, Uganda Christian University (UCU) – Mukono and Abja Park (Naalya Estates, Kampala).
The Basketball league has one of the biggest sports fan bases both at venue and live Tv broadcasts which FUBA intend to boost further.
In addition to sponsoring the league, Stanbic will make it easy and convenient for fans to pay for the league tickets through its e-wallet platform – Flexipay—in sync with the aspiration to drive an inclusive cashless economy.
NBL opening weekend fixtures
Sunday, March 19 at Lugogo
*Magic Stormers Vs Miracle Eaglets, 10am
*D-mark Power Vs Rezlife Saints, 12pm
*Ndejje University Vs KCCA Panthers, 2pm
*UCU Lady Canons Vs JKL Lady Dolphins, 4pm
*KIU Titans Vs City Oilers, 6pm
