NBC Bank, the main sponsor of the NBC Premier League, has handed over a bus worth 470m/-to Singida Fountain Gate, signalling the sponsor’s commitment to improving the league.
The Singida-based side becomes the second top-flight team to benefit from the bank’s loan programme after Kinondoni Municipal Council(KMC) who benefited from the same initiative in February this year.
The ceremony for the bus handover took place at CCM Liti Stadium in Singida on Wednesday and notable figures such as NBC Bank’s Director of Business, Elvis Ndunguru and the President of the club, Japhet Makau, were in attendance.
The event coincided with the joyous Singida Big Day celebrations.
During his remarks Ndunguru elaborated on the significance of the bus, disclosing that it is part of NBC Bank’s affordable loan programme specifically designed for clubs in the league. Singida Fountain Gate is obligated to repay the loan within two years, benefiting from competitive interest rates.
“The bus, which is fully insured by NBC Bank, provides coverage for passenger safety within the East and Central African region (Comesa). It was acquired from Africarriers Co. Ltd in Dar es Salaam and boasts a seating capacity of 58 passengers,’’ he said.
The team’s President, Makau expressed his gratitude to NBC Bank for their commendable efforts in elevating the league on an international level. He assured that the loan would be repaid punctually and gave his word to meticulously maintain the bus.
“This much-needed addition will now facilitate the transportation of our players, the technical bench and fans to matches beyond our region…we are so thankful to NBC Bank for this important initiative’’ he mentioned.
Meanwhile the Singida Fountain Gate coach Hans Van Pluijm accredited his players for a stellar performance against AS Vita while the visiting side’s trainer Raoul Shungu said they learnt many things from the match.
The hosts came from a goal behind to celebrate a 2-1 win with first-half goals from Malouf Tchakei and Dickson Ambundo which cancelled out a third-minute goal netted by Ngoma Manianga.
It was the first major squad weighing match for the Singida-based outfits in the ongoing preseason drills ahead of a busy 2023/24 campaign.
“Ahead of our competitive games, we have to work on both strength and weaknesses in order to be fully ready to face any opponent who comes our way,” Pluijm said.
Singida Fountain Gate will engage JKU of Zanzibar in the first preliminary round of the Confederation Cup but before that, they will face Simba in the semifinal match of the Community Shield at Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga on August 10th.
