The deal is primarily intended to bolster the NCC’s operations tab. It will also move the organisation’s finances from viable to stable and help it to focus on achieving first tier cricket franchise status.
NORTHERN Cape Cricket (NCC) have announced a groundbreaking five-year sponsorship deal with technology services company ITEC Free State, that will boost the sports body’s balance sheet and anchor its development programmes.
The deal comes just in time to rescue NCC’s finances from ruin. NCC’s state of finances had for some time been an open secret. Their saving grace was that they played and performed remarkably well over that same period. So much so that the NCC flag bearer Northern Cape Heat XI, emerged as the CSA 4-Day series champions for the series which ended just over a month ago.
NCC had also, fortuitously benefited from a rearrangement of the Cricket SA’s league system which created the domestic division two as a nursery for first class cricket. NCC’s flagbearer, Northern Cape Heat, became one of a clutch of franchises selected to play in division two.
NC Heat have outdone themselves in that division and now look poised to contend for a place in first class cricket.
Administratively the association went through a severe shock as well earlier last month when its long-serving CEO Eugene Jacobs ended his term at the helm of the organisation. Jacobs had served the organisation loyally for 26 years. Ill health, which at times laid him low, had put severe brakes on his tenure as chief executive.
This past week fortune was again on NCC’s side as ITEC Free State Senior Sales Executive Jonny Storm came knocking with Free State Cheetahs rugby legend Frans Viljoen in tow. They came bearing gifts at the NCC headquarters. The aim of the visit to Kimberley was to put ink to the five-year deal involving a collaboration between Itec Free State and Northern Cape Cricket.
In the post-signing interview Storm said: “The current contract is a five-year contract that we’ve agreed to with Northern Cape Cricket.”
He said it was not so much about the money that Itec was putting into the deal but the enormous savings that the NCC was going to gain through the cost savings systems that have been installed by Itec as part of the deal.
“This cost saving will help them develop their cricket as a rising union,” Storm added.
According to Storm the deal is primarily intended to bolster the NCC’s operations tab. It will also move the organisation’s finances from viable to stable and help it to focus on achieving first tier cricket franchise status.
The NCC is currently in a good spot on top of the domestic one division cricket log having, in addition to winning the CSA 4-Day championship, being runners up in the CSA One-Day Cup stakes.
After the deal was signed on Thursday last week, NCC issued a statement via its president, Gibson Molale, who commented: “After a lengthy process and engagements, a deal has finally been secured between the two companies, and president Gibson Molale is excited.
“Due to our current rebuilding of the company and the financial position that we are in, this comes as a breath of fresh air. Itec now saves us as a company over R1 million over the next four to five years. Money that now can be used to drive development programmes in our province and benefit our future cricketing stars.
“ Itec has also come on board to plough back into our cricketing fraternity, and for this I am excited,”Molale added.
“To the Acting Ceo and Board members, thank you for securing this deal for the betterment of the company, and in the best interest of cricket. Positive partnerships and brand alignment like these will boost us in our contention for promotion to the first division.”
Molale also used the agreement signing ceremony at their headquarters to introduce the organisation’s acting chief executive officer Thapelo January to the media. In an earlier interview Molale had made known that NCC had put out an advert inviting applications for the CEO post.
