On Wednesday, Sasol continued its long standing support for
South African football by becoming the first corporate sponsor of the South
African Football Association Development Agency (SDA) for the next three years.
The partnership forms part of Sasol’s
contribution to SAFA’s technical master plan and is in line with the Sasol’s commitment
to sustainable development and delivering meaningful contribution to the
communities within which it operates.
The agency is tasked with implementing the South
African Football Association (SAFA) Technical Master Plan, dubbed Vision 2022
by incoming president Danny Jordaan. The goal of the plan is to have all SAFA
National Teams ranked in the top three in Africa and the top twenty in the
world over the next ten years.
“We are excited about this project and it is an
excellent example of how we can deliver through partnerships. Sasol’s approach
to sustainable development depends on building strong and mutually beneficial
relationships and we are proud to be working with the Football Association and
contributing to the development plan,” said Maurice Radebe, Sasol Group
Executive.
The plan has seven pillars to it. These include
the development of a national playing philosophy, the training and licensing of
thousands of coaches, the identification and development of talent from the
earliest age, as well as organisation of structured competition at a local
football association (LFA) level.
The implementation of all seven streams of the
Plan must take place at a Local Football Association level. This is where
Sasol’s sponsorship will be directed, with the sponsorship reaching two South
African Football Association (SAFA) Regions,
being Gert
Sibande in
Mpumalanga and Fezile Dabi in
the Free State, over a three year period.
“We are delighted that SASOL has become the
first corporate partner in our bold vision to change football from the ground
up. Vision 2022 is going to need
multiple partners for success, and we hope that SASOL’s confidence in our
Vision will inspire others to join”, said Dr Robin Petersen, CEO of the SAFA
Development Agency.
In June this year, Sasol extended its partnership
with the football association when they extended their sponsorship of women’s
football, i.e. Banyana Banyana (senior women’s national team) and the Sasol
League (women’s provincial football league) for another four years to June
2017.
Sasol has been involved with the development of
football for over 20 years first with the National U/23 Football Team
“Amaglug-glug” and more recently with women’s football in Banyana Banyana and
the Sasol League and this further cements their commitment to the development
of football in the country.
"When we were preparing to takeoffice, we identified development as the key priority of teh SAFA administration. This sponsorship will inspire confidence in our Vision 2022 in the business sector, and will provide us with an important starting point for the implementation of our plan,” says SAFA President, Dr Danny
Jordaan. “Thank you SASOL for your
support.”
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