Full details on the SLFA – Umbro partnership. ‘A new business sponsorship model’

Freetown | 27th March 2021 | Vertex Media

On the 18th December 2020, the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) and Umbro announced a long term partnership with mutual benefits. But details of this partnership were not provided.

In a press conference held at the Home Suites Hotel in Freetown, the General Secretary Chris Kamara explained that Sierra Leone and other member Associations of FIFA are using the new model of kit sponsorship which is known as the ‘Business Sponsorship,’ a model that requires a sponsor to provide playing jerseys and other equipments, while the Association is required to buy a certain quantity of the replicas.

Due to the challenges faced by member Associations in having kits sponsors, FIFA in 2018 had agreed to support member Associations with ‘equipment funding.’ In 2019, FIFA started providing the equipment funding of $170,000 to member Associations that are unable to secure a 100% kits sponsorship deal. These member Associations can now use its equipment funding to get kits sponsorship deal to either buy their own kits or by using the new business sponsorship model.
Chris Kamara

With this model, the kit producer or sponsor is willing to provide playing jerseys, travelling kits, hotel accommodation, training kits for all national team categories, while the national association is able/willing to buy some quantity of the replicas (supporters jerseys) from the sponsor.

Sierra Leone has decided to partner with umbro and terminated the contract with its previous partners, the Singaporean brand – Mafro, who were faced with logistical challenges.

The relationship with umbro requires the SLFA to buy certain quantity of the replicas from umbro (about 12,500 pieces of replicas), and umbro in return provides training footwears for all technical officers, playing jerseys, sockets, training equipments, travelling kits, accommodation, training kits, sweaters, official wears, wind breakers for all national levels, from senior to the U-17.

The umbro replica jerseys are currently sold at about €30 at the international market per unit, but because of this partnership, the SLFA has been able to get them at a reduced cost of $16, instead of €30 per unit. Meaning, SLFA would need to pay $200,000 for the 12,500 replicas valued at $16.

According to Chris Kamara, the FA has therefore decided to use its 2020 FIFA equipment funding of $170,000, plus an additional amount of $30,000 approved by the Executive Committee of the SLFA to raise the sum of $200,000 in order to enable the FA to meet it’s own side of the deal. The FA will now sell these replicas to recoup its money back and probably make a margin.

This Business Sponsorship model is being utilized by bigger African nations like Nigeria, South Africa, and some other nations in other parts of the world. Recently, Nike has to walk out of its initial sponsorship deal with the South Africa FA, who couldn’t meet the target of the quota given to them to sell the replica kits. In another instance, Liberia for example has decided to buy their jerseys (plain jerseys) from Puma and then stencils their FA’s crest on it. The Liberia’s model is not a sponsorship deal, they are merely going to the market and buy jerseys. Which means they will spend more and will also not enjoy other facilities provided in a sponsorship deal.

“With this type of partnership, Sierra Leone stands to benefit more from umbro in the future,” so stated the SLFA Head of Corporate, Mohamed Benson Bawoh.

The Sierra Leone National Men’s team Leone Stars will use the new umbro jerseys for the first time in the AFCON Qualifying matches against Lesotho and Benin. The rest of the consignments from umbro are expected this weekend in Freetown according to Chris Kamara.

Ibrahim Sorious Samura