The Arsenal club and official partner SportPesa have announced an extension of their partnership which sees the company become the official African Betting Partner of Arsenal with rights of association across the whole of the African continent.
The new deal with SportPesa was finalized with a contract signed by representatives from both parties in a hot air balloon over the Maasai Mara, with the migration season ongoing symbolically reflecting the expansion of the partnership across the whole of Africa.
The deal is geared towards nurturing grass root football and supporting SportPesa’s existing sponsorship of SportPesa Premier League and SportPesa Super 8 League in Kenya.
This will see local talent get exposure to advanced sporting skills as well as capacity building through interaction with Arsenal and other activities across the continent.
As part of the partnership deal with Arsenal, an additional five-day training camp will be carried out by an Arsenal-trained coaching staff.
The training camps have been designed to ensure both footballers and coaches learn to incorporate the key principles of ‘Playing the Arsenal Way’.
The first of these camps took place in Nairobi in May earlier this year with Arsenal legend Sol Campbell in attendance.
Launching the partnership, SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri said “Enhancing and expanding our partnership with Arsenal gives us a wonderful opportunity to connect with more people all over Africa through both our grassroots coaching and also promotional activities with the club and players.
Arsenal has a huge presence and support across the continent and we will use that to positively contribute to the sustainable growth of a number of different sports but mainly football with a shared dream to see Kenya compete in the World Cup for the first time in 2022”
Vinai Venkatesham Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer said, “We are delighted to announce the expansion of our association with SportPesa across Africa following a successful first year of partnership in Kenya.
We look forward to being an important part of how SportPesa’s business will grow across Africa and have a shared commitment to develop structured community football programs together”
In addition to this deal, SportPesa secured a sponsorship deal with English football club Hull City and are the official betting partner for Southampton football club.
This move will strengthen SportPesa’s presence in Africa and Europe.
