NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 2 – The Sports Journalist Association of Kenya (SJAK) and pay television broadcaster StarTimes Media Kenya have signed an agreement that will see top Kenyan coaches feted every month.
The ‘Coach of the Month’ award scheme targets gaffers across various sports disciplines and will see the winner walk away with Ksh 100,000, a personalized trophy and a 55-inch StarTimes TV set.
StarTimes Kenya CEO Hanson Wang expressed his excitement over the company’s involvement in such noble initiatives to grow the local sports industry.
“We are re-establishing our partnership with SJAK to reward excellence in sports, having had a similar initiative between 2017 and 2018. Through the initiative, we were able to award up to 25 sportsmen and women. It is quite humbling to see how the beneficiaries have welcomed such acts from us,” Wang said.
He added that the partnership is just the beginning of the company’s commitment to play its part in taking the sports industry to the next level by incentivizing coaches.
“As a brand, our commitment here today is that we will continue to invest in mutually beneficial sports initiatives in our strategic effort to recognize sports excellence and as a way of giving back to the society we serve through our pay television service,” Wang said.
SJAK president Chris Mbaisi thanked StarTimes for buying into the initiative, noting that coaches have been unsung heroes for a very long time.
“Enhancing sport performance remains an important element of coaching. Athletes need a coach who can effectively guide their technical, tactical, and physical development to help them improve at their sport,” Mbaisi said.
“They play a leading role in development of athletes but unfortunately, they often go unrecognized when it comes to great performances by their players. When things don’t go as planned, they are always the first to be blamed.”
Mbaisi added: “This new StarTimes partnership with SJAK brings good tidings to the sporting fraternity given that the monthly winner of the award will pocket Ksh 100,000 as the prize money with a StarTimes 55-inch digital television to boot. Upon expiry of the deal, StarTimes shall have the right of first option to renew the Agreement on such terms as may be agreed between the parties.”
The two were speaking at Nairobi Safari Club on Wednesday during a ceremony to sign and announce the partnership.
Also present was the national women’s volleyball team coach Paul Bitok who said the award will uplift the morale of local tacticians across the industry.
“I appreciate all those who came up with the idea to fete coaches for the hard work they do in developing players. We have seen previous times when teams come back to the country after a successful outing but it is only the players that are awarded and recognized while the coaches are forgotten,” Bitok said.
