Opportunities for Corporate Sponsorship and Partnership in Sport in East Africa

Abstract

Corporate sponsorship is a form of advertising in which companies pay to be associated with certain events. It has been growing worldwide outpacing the traditional components of the typical integrated marketing communications. In East Africa a number of small and medium sized firms have often got involved. The business environment has allowed such companies to embrace sponsorship of everything from local soccer clubs, volleyball teams to marathon and festivals as an effective means of increasing their visibility in various communities. Sponsorship comes along with potential benefits: increase in public profile; enhance a company’s image and visibility; strategically it can boost sales—both long-term and short-term. Many sponsors in Uganda and Kenya have in recent times assumed a more visible role within the sports environment. However many sports organizations have not been able to identify, recruit, and retain such sponsors. This has had consequences on team preparations, training, provision of kits, and consequently poor performance of individuals and teams at various levels. In this paper, the African Sport Management Association (ASMA) presents a preliminary report on the status of sport corporate sponsorship and gives a narrative of opportunities still available in both Kenya and Uganda.