Super League of Malawi (SULOM) President Fleetwood Haiya has described the just ended TNM Super League as a success with gat revenues increasing tremendously to around K915 million as compared to K587 million in the previous season.
He made the remarks on Wednesday in Blantyre during a press briefing.
“I am proud to report that we have lived to our word having witnessed an attractive and competitive 2023 season. It is a season that has lit a flame of hope for our beautiful game and we are in the rightful direction towards professionalizing our league.
“I would like to thank all the 16 teams that participated in the 2023 season for their commitment and competitive spirit. Congratulations to FCB Nyasa Big Bullets for winning the league. Tough luck to Blue Eagles, Red Lions and Extreme FC. There is always next time.
“As we celebrate the just ended season, it is an opportunity to take stock of the gains made, and challenges faced during the season, hence this press briefing this morning. I want to assure all football lovers that we will not sleep. We will build on the gains made this season to continue Reviving, Reforming and Rebranding our league. But this cannot be achieved by SULOM Exco alone. I am, therefore, praying for your continued support to help us develop the league into a viable professional venture,” said Haiya
Taking his turn, SULOM Vice President, Colonel Gilbert Mittawa said the new executive has made significant strides in realizing the 5 key pillars that were set under the leadership of Haiya.
“You will also agree that during the just ended season, patronage of Super League matches increased significantly compared to previous seasons. It is not surprising therefore, that gate revenue for this season increased tremendously to around K915 million as compared to K587 million in the previous season.
“As an extension, allow me to sincerely thank all fans and football lovers for the support they gave to SULOM and Super League teams this season. Their contribution to the league has been a key game changer. I should also thank the leadership of all the Super League
“Teams in working hard to curb violence and hooliganism during matches. Your efforts cannot be taken for granted. For that reason, we will continue engaging the TNM Super League Supporters Committee to devise more ways and means that can help elevate the status of the league and curb violence at football matches,” he said
Further, Mittawa said they aim to raise the subvention to a minimum of k20 Million from K10 million the previous season.
“This season, we introduced several initiatives aimed at increasing revenue for clubs. We increased annual subvention to a minimum of MK10 Million from around K1 Million the previous season. This was a great milestone which eased logistical challenges for Super League teams and therefore, contributed directly to competitiveness of the league throughout the season.
“For the coming season, we aim to raise the subvention to a minimum of K20 Million. To this end, we have put in place several initiatives and activities to raise funds for the league and the clubs, in particular,” he said
Among others other initiatives to make SULOM better, Mittawa said they have established a full-time professional secretariat housed in this building at Ginnery Corner, Blantyre. It also established regional offices in Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
“To enhance competition, we effected the one game per week policy which has been a cornerstone of a highly competitive season as teams had time to recover and prepare before playing their next match. We also ensured that referees are paid in time to ease their logistical challenges and enable them to discharge their functions in a professional manner,” he said
