The Under-20 FMB League continues to get bigger and better.
The tournament has now extended to three more districts—Mchinji, Mangochi and Karonga—bringing the number of participating districts to nine.
The initial six districts were Blantyre, Zomba, Dedza, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Nkhata Bay.
This was announced during cocktail launch of the tournament held at Blantyre Sports Club on Tuesday evening where the bank also confirmed doubling the sponsorship package from K10 million to K20 million.
It was also announced that the four teams that will qualify for the November national finals of this year’s edition will each put on Adidas kits worth K300 000 aside from battling for the ultimate K750 000 winners’ purse.
FMB unveiled the uniforms, which shimmer in the bank’s blue, green and white colours.
The competition will be launched this Saturday in Mchinji.
“We want this year’s event to be bigger and better. This is why we want the teams that will reach the national finals to put on nice uniforms,” said FMB head of marketing Sylvia Mataka.
“We have also doubled the sponsorship package to K20 million because we will be celebrating 20 years of existence in the country this year.”
According to Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions Manager Gomezgani Zakazaka, the competition will start at district level in Blantyre, Zomba, Dedza, Lilongwe, Nkhata Bay, Mzuzu and new recruits Mangochi, Mchinji and karonga.
He said district champions will progress to regional finals, from which three regional winners will make it into the national finals. However, champions for Zomba will automatically qualify for the national finals as hosts.
FAM president Walter Nyamilandu and National Youth Football Committee (NYFC) chairperson Mabvuto Missi thanked the bank for continuing to support youth football, “which is the backbone of Malawi soccer.”
“For the past seven years you have been sponsoring youth football, you have shown that they are not only a friendly bank but also visionary,” said Nyamilandu before signing the sponsorship contract along with Missi and FMB general manager Kobus Louw.