Tanzania: Zanzibar Heroes’ Players to Be Insured

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)

Issa Yussuf

17 March 2011

Zanzibar — ZANZIBAR players will from this year be insured whenever they feature for the Isles national team ‘Zanzibar Heroes’, an official from the Zanzibar Ministry of Information, Culture, Tourism and Sports has revealed, saying it was proof that the government was committed to develop sports.

“The government, through its national insurance corporation, has decided to insure the players in the national team,” Joseph Kilangi said at the preparatory meeting held at the Zanzibar Beach Resort to organize the first ever ‘Zanzibar Heroes Gala Dinner’ scheduled for March 26.

Speaking on behalf of the government, Kilangi said Zanzibar government had plans to improve all sports in the country, as he called upon members of the business community to support the initiatives by sponsoring sports.

“We have raised our budget for sports from 60m/- to 100m/- and I expect the budget will grow higher. But since the number of sports needing financial assistance is big, we must get support from the private sector,” he said.

The gala dinner expected to attract many reputable companies in Tanzania and from abroad, is being organized by Future Century Limited of Dar es Salaam. It is targeting to raise more than US 200,000 dollars that would go to support the Heroes.

According to the Future Century spokesperson Helene Masanja, they plan to unveil plans (‘aiming at selling the ideas) to potential sponsors to support ‘Zanzibar heroes’ and the Zanzibar premier league at the dinner to be graced by Dr Ali Mohamed Shein.

Zanzibar Football Association (ZFA) has been running a mini-premier without sponsorship ahead of the premier league planned to start in August, this year. The Mobile phone Company -ZANTEL withdrew from sponsoring the isles premier league last year on undisclosed reason.

The teams in the Zanzibar mini- premiers league include the soccer kings-Zanzibar Ocean View, KMKM, Jamhuri, Malindi, Mundu, Mafunzo, Polisi, Miembeni, Chipkizi, Duma, Chuoni and Madungu.

AllAfrica – All the Time