NPL champs to get less

THIS year’s Namibia Premier League champions will receive N$400 000, compared to the N$500 000 the winners received the past two years.

This year’s prize money is also less than the amount the champions of the Cell One NFA Cup will pocket – N$500 000, the biggest in a local cup competition to date.N$400 000 is what the last team in the Absa South African premiership receives, while the champions of that league walk away with a cool N$10 million – more than the total annual sponsorship of premiership football in Namibia.The disparities between the two leagues show that the Namibia Premier League (NPL) still has a long way to go to get fully professional and duly compensate the teams in the league.At the moment, some teams in the NPL spend more on salaries, travel costs and bonuses for players than what they get in return from the league.Eleven Arrows owner Johnny Doëseb has invested over N$2 million in his side to date and this year alone has pumped in N$800 000 only to cater for his players’ salaries and other incentives.He is the only club owner who has constructed a Players’ Village to cater for his players at Walvis Bay and also plans to help his players study further so that they’ll have something to fall back on when their playing days are over.Civics have splashed out close to N$1 million for the current season alone, while SKW, Ramblers, Orlando Pirates and African Stars have made investments in excess of N$6 million to run their clubs.This is a worrying factor for most teams, as they feel that there is nothing for them in the league.First National Bank (FNB) this season has taken up five premiership clubs of which each got N$300 000 for the season. That in a way helps these five clubs, but they are still required to add more to fulfil their league obligations.NPL ADMITS Premiership chief administrator Tovey //Hoëbeb admitted that what some teams invest in their players is nothing compared to what they get at the end of the season from the league.He says the N$4,3 million they receive from their sole sponsor, MTC, is divided into many activities of the league.He says the break-up of the Namibia Football Consortium (NFC), which pumped in N$8 million a year, added to the financial misery of the league, which by now could have pushed the championship prize money to at least a N$1 million.The consortium was a partnership between MTC, Namibia Breweries Limited and First National Bank and fell apart last year after irreconcilable investment differences.//Hoëbeb says at least half of the N$4,3 million goes to the start-up capital of the 16 teams in the league. The rest is spent on the administration of the league, referees, security and medical services.Despite the Referees’ Committee falling under the Namibia Football Association’s (NFA) wing, their travel, accommodation and match fees are borne by the NPL.He said they are fighting for a bigger sponsorship deal with the sponsors next season and are also looking at bringing more sponsors on board.At this stage, Cell One is the only company that has come on board with its cup competition.The prize money for the 2008/09 season is: Champions – N$400 000; 2nd – N$180 000; 3rd – N$100 000; 4th – N$75 000; 5th – N$40 000 and 6th – N$25 000.