Football Legends Association (FLA) has raised over K254 million through its fundraising drive.
FLA Board Chairperson Jim Kalua disclosed this during a fundraising dinner held at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe City on Saturday.
The money was raised through sponsorship and auction sales of FLA’s merchandise, including match balls and replica kits.
During the fundraising dinner, business mogul Thomson Mpinganjira purchased an FLA match ball at K15 million and a tracksuit at K7 million.
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Kalua said the fundraising campaign received an overwhelming response from the corporate world and individuals.
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“Our ambition is to fully commercialise the association. We want to transform our brand, history and national appeal into sustainable economic opportunities,” he said.
He said the association would move from donor reliance to self-sustainable in the near future.
“Commercialisation does not mean abandoning our values. It means building financial strength required to care for our members, support legends facing difficult circumstances, develop new initiatives and preserve Malawi’s football heritage for future generations.
“We want to build an association that does not organise events or respond when a legend is in need; we want an institution that creates opportunities, develops skills, generates income and provides a strong platform through which legends can continue contributing to football and society,” Kalua said.
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The association organised the event to raise funds to support the legends and its registered members.
Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Alfred Gangata said time had come to restore the dignity of legends in the country.
“We value the contributions of the legends. Therefore, we applaud what FLA has done to improve their welfare. This is commendable and let us support the legends,” Gangata said.
On his part, Mpinganjira also hailed FLA for promoting the welfare of the legends but asked the association to be self sustainable.
“FLA has set a good example and I am really happy with their progress. I am happy to contribute to the legends for what they did to the nation,” Mpinganjira said.
During the ceremony, FLA also recognised the Scorchers for their historic Wafcon finals achievement in Morocco.
