By Isaac Salima:
After a three-year break due to various reasons, Blantyre City Council Mayor’s Trophy is back this year with Nico Group bankrolling it to the tune of K35 million.
The trophy, which involves Under-15 primary schools in football and netball, was last competed for in 2019, with Nico committing to a three-year K60 million sponsorship.
Games in the competition started on Wednesday with over 100 schools from the commercial city expected to participate.
This year’s competition has seen athletics being incorporated.
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Mayor Wild Ndipo said he was excited with the competition’s return.
“I would like to thank Nico Group for coming in to support us. Going without the competition for the past years really affected us. This is because the trophy is a platform for unearthing raw talent at grassroot level. We expect an exciting tournament this year,” Ndipo said.
Nico Corporate Affairs Manager Mbumba Mlia Ndasauka said they would like to see learners enjoying various sporting activities while building their careers.
“We expect a smooth tournament that inspires our pupils. As a financial institution, we would also like the pupils to take advantage of the competition to learn about financial issues so that they become good leaders in the future,” Mlia Ndasauka said.
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Malawi Schools Sports Association Blantyre Urban Chairperson Egnazio Libwaloh said the competition will begin at zonal level with schools from six zones battling it out in a two-legged knockout format.
“We expect to finish the games on November 24 when the champions will face off at district level, with the final games scheduled for December 16. In athletics, individual athletes representing various zones will also compete in categories such as relay race, javelin and high jump,” Libwaloh said.
The competition will see football champions pocketing K1 million, with netball winners getting K800,000.
