The club and Official Partner SportPesa have today announced an extension of their partnership, which sees the company become the Official African Betting Partner of Arsenal with rights of association across the whole of the African continent.
Previously Arsenal’s Official Betting Partner in Kenya, the new deal with SportPesa was finalised with a contract signed by representatives from both parties in a hot air balloon over the Masai Mara, with the migration season symbolically reflecting the expansion of the partnership across the whole of Africa.
The deal is geared towards nurturing grassroots football and supporting SportPesa’s existing sponsorship of SportPesa Premier League and SportPesa Super 8 League in Kenya.
This will see local talent get exposure to advanced sporting skills as well as capacity building through interaction with the Arsenal and other activities across the continent.
Furthermore, as SportPesa continues to expand their presence across the African continent, the partnership with Arsenal will help the company to engage with a huge number of supporters across Africa
SportPesa will have a presence on a match day at Emirates Stadium, with local football talent that the company is looking to develop offered a number of club related benefits such as official merchandise, tickets to matches and the chance to experience the world class hospitality at Emirates Stadium.
As part of the partnership with Arsenal, additional five-day training camps will be carried out by Arsenal-trained coaching staff.
The training camps have been designed to ensure both footballers and coaches learn to incorporate the key principles of ‘playing the Arsenal way’.
The first of these camps took place in Nairobi in May earlier this year, with Arsenal legend Sol Campbell in attendance. 60 Kenyan coaches from all over the country took part in the training camp with 16 drawn from SportPesa Premier League and 44 others from the grassroots football clubs across Nairobi.
“Enhancing and expanding our partnership with Arsenal gives us a wonderful opportunity to connect with more people all over Africa, through both our grassroots coaching and also promotional activities with the club and its players,” said SportPesa Chief Executive Officer Ronald Karauri Launching the partnership.