SPAR Namibia is proud to announce its partnership with the Namibian Ice & Inline Hockey Association (NIIHA), which aims to propel the development of inline hockey players and the sport forward.
Sport is about community and through its headline sponsorship of the junior national teams over the next three years, SPAR will ensure that all training camps, team wear and battle gear, entry- and coaching fees, as well as travel costs of the teams’ coaches and managers relating to the national teams, will be covered.
Over and above this, SPAR will make provision to cover the travel expenses to the Inline Hockey World Championship of four underprivileged junior national players, taking pressure off of the players and their families to raise much needed funds, and allowing the inline hockey community to focus primarily on the growth of the sport and team.
“Namibia’s inline hockey team has been making waves at global tournaments for a few years now and is growing in popularity. At SPAR we believe that apart from keeping your body healthy and revitalising your mind, sport has an amazing ability to build character, improve confidence and most importantly, bring people together,” says Sean Komlosy, Divisional Marketing Director from SPAR Western Cape & Namibia.
“For this reason, our SPAR sport sponsorships endeavour to assist in areas that have been traditionally overlooked by sponsors. We see immense potential in the national, foundational and development of the Namibian inline hockey teams as well as the strides being made to ensure greater inclusivity in the sport, and we are extremely excited to be a partner on their journey to success”.
Inline hockey is very similar to ice hockey, only it’s not played on ice and players wear inline skates. In 2017, the first ever Namibian Federation team was sent to the USA, and they returned with a gold medal from the North American Roller Hockey Championships (NARCh). In 2018, teams played in Spain in the Sparta Cup and returned with 1 gold and 1 silver medal. In 2019, 7 Namibian teams took part in the State Wars in America and every team medalled. After Covid subsided, the Federation team attended State Wars again in 2022 and they won 2 bronze, 1 silver and the girls brought home the gold for the Girl’s Minor division. At the end of 2022 the Junior National teams achieved their greatest height yet: the men’s team climbed in their ranking up the 4th place in the world, whilst the ladies’ team walked away with gold – crowning them as world champs!
“Our vision is to become the preferred sport in Namibia and build a future for our children and through them, where skills acquired in the sport will open doors and shape their characters. This in turn will create future leaders who will value productivity and competitiveness, balanced with a heart for the community. We are extremely excited to welcome SPAR Namibia on board as we get ready to take on the world,” says Bernd Bajorat, President of the Namibian Ice & Inline Hockey Association.
SPAR’s sports sponsorship of both the junior national teams and local events comes from a deep interest in creating inclusive sporting opportunities for all.
“SPAR has, for several years sponsored the NIIHA Championships, as well as the Africa Cup – a growing international tournament which attracts players from around the globe – and the aim is to now help take the sport to even greater heights. We are very proud to attach our brand to inline hockey in Namibia and look forward to an exciting future together,” concludes Sean Komlosy, Divisional Marketing Director from SPAR Western Cape & Namibia.
Sources: NAMPA PR and SPAR International