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THE US$15 000 financial injection poured by Nedbank towards the annual Tour de Great Dyke is as heart-warming as they come. The cycling event, which is organized by YAFM in association with several mining companies such as Mimosa, Zimplats and Unki, is entering its sixth year, having been launched in 2016.

The three-day event that will see over 100 cyclists cover a distance of more than 300km in three days is aimed at promoting wellness, love for the environment and raising awareness on the investment opportunities that lie in the Great Dyke.

Part of the proceeds from this race from which some of the top cyclists in this country were born go to support charitable needs of the Gifted Children Foundation which assists underprivileged but talented students in the Great Dyke.

And to have such an investment coming from Nedbank shows just how much good corporate governance can attract in terms of sport sponsorship.

Cycling is not a very big sport in Zimbabwe but its ability to attract such a large amount of sponsorship speaks volumes of the seriousness of how it is administered.

Even the number of cyclists turning out for the Tour de Great Dyke have been increasing each year with this year’s edition expected to attract a record number of participants.

That means more economic activities downstream of an event which will tee off from Zimplats Complex in Selous and ending at the Wedza Complex in Mimosa, Zvishavane.

This is not the only sporting initiative Nedbank has bankrolled. They have also committed substantial amounts of money to the Zimbabwe Rugby Union’s administered 15s national teams.

According to the bank’s Executive Head Sales and Business Origination, Heresy Herry, Nedbank has since invested more than US$250 000 in the Sables and Junior Sables.

The Zimbabwe Rugby Union is one of the best administered associations in this country and sponsors fall over each other.

The Zimbabwe Netball Association has of late been also getting significant sponsorship with the coming in of Spar Zimbabwe and they have even attracted the interests of Ree Sport who have extended an invitation for them to tour the UK before they plunge into the 2023 World Cup in South Africa.

It is refreshing to see associations being able to generate their own revenue without always going with a begging bowl to the Government whenever they have an upcoming tournament or event.

It is refreshing to see associations turning over the leaf, incorporating good corporate governance policies in their affairs and attracting sponsorship.

Football is a bad example of a sport which has been run wildly in this country.

The custodians of the most followed sport in the country, the Zimbabwe Football Association, have always failed the test of integrity, credibility and goodwill.

ZIFA, whose erstwhile former leaders Felton Kamambo and his ex-Board member finance, ran the association down during their short-lived term in office.

They failed to attract any sponsorship be it in the form of logistics or monetary. Each time the national team had international assignments, ZIFA would always ask for a hand from the Government and even individuals.

They lacked the password to good corporate governance and they were never close to getting goodwill and mutual trust from the corporate world. They failed to do what their affiliates like the Premier Soccer League and the Northern Region Division One Soccer League did.

These two leagues, especially the latter, have sustained their operations through financial injections and sponsorship from the corporate world.

The NRDSL have since 2014 retained their anchor sponsor, Ruyamuro Service Stations. The sponsor also sponsors the Soccer Star of the Year banquet, giving a vehicle to the winner every year.

The league also has individual sponsors for goalkeeper, top scorer, player and coach of the month.

They have also a sponsor for a top-eight tournament whose final will be played at the end of the current season which has four more rounds to go.

There are corporates out there who are ready to pour in financial investments into sport provided the associations are run professionally.

Associations have lied and misrepresented to the fans that sponsors are hard to come by. There are companies doing well in this country and who are ready to partner with any organised sporting associations.

The password to getting that access is simple – professionalism and transparency.