Funeral assurance company, Nyaradzo Group, has handed over a brand new Iveco bus valued at US$214 000 to Chicken Inn FC as part of the ongoing multi-faceted partnership with the premier league club.
Speaking at the hand-over ceremony at the Chicken Inn Drive-Through in Bulawayo, Mr. Tendayi Kanjanda, General Manager of Nyaradzo Life Assurance Company, said that by watching Chicken Inn FC, popularly known as the Gamecocks, trailing the lead club by a single point, it is clear the club, just like Nyaradzo is keeping its eye “firmly on the ball”.
“Our focus is to uphold and develop the three pillars of our corporate philosophy: strength, service and solutions, and our commitment to football in general and Chicken Inn FC in particular, is helping us support the teams and reach our goals,” said Mr. Kanjanda.
Transport, after staff, is the largest expense and logistical challenge to a football club. By receiving the new bus, this solves Chicken FC’s challenges allowing them to concentrate on their core business that is, winning games. Speaking at the handover ceremony, Mr. Kanjanda explained that the Gamecocks’ bus was not the company’s first partnership of this kind. Since 2013, the Nyaradzo Group has donated buses for a number of premier league football clubs that include Highlanders, Dynamos, CAPS United and others.
The programme is linked to the Score Pack Plan, one of the assurance company’s top products, allowing policyholders to cover an unlimited number of dependants. Score Pack aims to support the development of local soccer in a number of innovative ways, by giving teams the opportunity to generate their own income and enabling them to run their affairs more efficiently.
The teams sell the Score Pack Plan, one of the better priced funeral insurance products currently available on the market. In turn they earn a commission which can be ploughed back into the club’s running costs, in effect, they become agents for Score Pack.
However, that is not the only benefit to the clubs as Nyaradzo Group also offers free funeral cover to 50 members of the club, for current and former players as well as members of the administrative staff.
“Between the easing of the transport challenge, the opportunity for clubs to earn income through the Score Pack Plan and the free funeral cover, players, the main actors, are given the peace of mind to focus on the game and do well on the field,” said Mr. Kanjanda.
Accepting the keys to the bus on behalf of the Simbisa Brands Group, Financial Director, Mr Onias Moyo, thanked Mr Kanjanda and the Nyaradzo Group for the generous sponsorship. He assured the group that Chicken Inn FC would play its role in this relationship.
“The secret to success is hard work, on the pitch and elsewhere,” Mr. Moyo said. “We are committed to helping the Nyaradzo Group achieve its goals alongside our own, and will promote them as actively as those of Chicken Inn. Here we have two solid brands, so let’s make sure we are the best that we can be, and reflect them well. Any misconduct or unprofessional behaviour will not reflect well on either Chicken Inn or Nyaradzo.”
Chicken Inn FC team players joined both Mr. Kanjanda and Mr. Moyo on the inaugural bus ride after the handover ceremony.