Financial services company Nedbank has renewed its title sponsorship of the Nedbank Cup, the leading club football knockout competition in South Africa.
The new five-year deal, covering the 2018 to 2022 editions of the event, was signed with Nedbank Cup organiser the Premier Soccer League.
Nedbank has sponsored the event since 2008. SuperSport United is the defending champion, having defeated the Orlando Pirates 4-1 in last year’s final.
A number of Nedbank products will be rolled out during this year’s tournament, which features a prize fund of R20m (€1.3m/$1.6m).
PSL chairman Irvin Khoza said: “It’s a great feeling to be part of a historic occasion where we prolong the marriage between the PSL and Nedbank. It has been an eventful 10 years. Nedbank understands that football is about giving everyone an opportunity in this country to see things differently, but more importantly, when they came in with an education drive to turn the country green, it was one of those experiences that made me understand the value of nature.”
The Ke Yona Team Search has been an integral part of the Nedbank Cup for the past five years and is set to continue under the new deal.
The initiative is aimed at aspiring footballers between the ages of 18-23. The Ke Yona Team Search is a nationwide talent search programme that has seen over 25 previously unknown players secure professional contracts.
This year’s Ke Yona Team Search will also give the fans a chance to select which of the final 18 players go to their favourite PSL clubs with Nedbank introducing an interactive player draft process. Part of this will be through the first ever football specific app in the country.
The Nedbank Cup App will offer numerous engagement opportunities for supporters, as well as regular prizes throughout the duration of the Nedbank Cup and Ke Yona Team Search.