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Gor Mahia bags Sh50 million sponsorship deal


Crown Beverages has signed a Sh50 million three-year shirt sponsorship deal with Nairobi-based football club Gor Mahia, boosting its ability to attract and retain top talent.

The deal with Crown, the local distributor for SABMiller drinks, is the second for Gor Mahia in less than a month with the Premier League champions having signed a similar deal with betting company SportPesa two weeks ago.

Gor Mahia has been without a shirt sponsor since March 2013 when a Sh18.5 million-a-year deal with milk processor Brookside Dairies ran out.

SLEEVES

The Gor Mahia shirt will now bear the SportPesa logo at the front and Crown Lager logo on the sleeves. Crown Lager is one of the major brands distributed by the company.

“This partnership will result in a lot of benefits for Gor Mahia and its huge fan base in Kenya and consumers of our quality beer brand through a number of promotional initiatives and will symbiotically boost the team’s and our brand’s popularity in Kenya and across the continent” David Minja, Crown Beverages commercial director said on Thursday.

The deal was set to be announced on March 9 but was delayed due to what club Chairman Ambrose Rachier described as “a few issues that need to be cleared with SportPesa.”

FINANCIAL STRUGGLES

Gor Mahia is one of the best-supported clubs in Kenya alongside long-time rivals AFC Leopards.

The deal with the two sponsors will now ease the financial struggles that the club has gone through over the last three years.

The club was forced to crowd-fund through M-Pesa In April 2014 to finance its activities. A venture with a Nakuru-based baker to make Gor Mahia-branded bread also failed to pan out and ended in court.