How SportPesa made their way into the sports industry
What you need to know:
- After having made a difference in the sports betting market, it was a matter of time before it extended its focus directly to sports engagement in Africa and elsewhere.
Sports betting is related to sports, but not necessarily all sports bettors are sports fans, SportPesa entered into the game to connect the two thin dots. It goes without saying that you need to have a mere passion for the sporting activities around to drive up your winning chances higher on lucrative odds.
After having made a difference in the sports betting market, it was a matter of time before it extended its focus directly to sports engagement in Africa and elsewhere.
In 2017, SportPesa brought one of the world best footballers, a former Manchester United and England international in the Tanzanian soil, Wayne Rooney who played for Everton at that time, an event that sent football fans hysterical, watching him and his side lock horns with our very celebrated East African players.
That moment stole a spotlight for SportPesa as the Company and made its journey towards local sports engagement a smooth ever. Let's take a trip down a memory lane.
Kenya
In 2014, SportPesa entered into Kenya for the first time, sponsoring the domestic league, senior national football teams (for men and women), Harambee Stars and Starlets. It sealed a lucrative deal with the Kenyan Football Federation for the facilitation of their FIFA 2022 qualifying campaign in Qatar. In 2016, SportPesa expanded its sponsorship to include top-notch local clubs, Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, Mashemeji Derby in other words, and Championship clubs (Nakuru All Stars) and rugby.
Tanzania
In 2017, the sequel went on as this time around their money were splashed into the Kariakoo twins and historical football rivalry in the country, Simba and Yanga and later in the same year established SportPesa Super Cup finals that featured all top clubs sponsored by the firm across Tanzania, Kenya and England.
The Club sponsorship has also seen Namungo and Singida Fountain Gate as new entrants. SportPesa couldn’t afford to let Tanzanian boxing slip away and decided to take on the game for all intents and purposes, striking a mega deal with Tanzanian Hassan Mwakinyo.
In 2018, SportPesa commissioned repairs for the Benjamin Mkapa stadium that was yet to undergo any major upgrade since its establishment.
South Africa
Similarly to Tanzania, South Africa hosted the Company in 2017 which upon its arrival sponsored Cape Town FC and became the first sports betting firm to have done that in their league history. Fast forward, in 2019, rolled out its Coaches to Count On program that featured English football clubs, Arsenal, Hull City and Southampton and coaches who flew to South Africa for the mentorship of local coaches and then moved to other countries with an affiliation to the Company.
England
Hull City and Everton joined other clubs across the world that were under the sponsorship of SportPesa when it set foot in the English Premier League. And then Arsenal and Southampton signed partnership agreements with SportPesa as the official betting partner.
Other sports
In 2019, SportPesa was announced as the official sponsor of the Racing Point F1 for Formula 1 that emerged as seventh overall winner, collecting 73 points.
