Betika Na Community, the corporate social investment arm of Betika, Kenya’s leading sports betting company, has launched the Meru Football Challenge, a football tournament aimed at fostering youth development through sports.
The tournament will take place in Meru County from March 10th to March 31st, 2024, at the Kinoru Stadium.
The Meru Football Challenge will feature a total of 32 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams competing for a grand prize of KES 1 million each for the winning men’s and women’s teams.
First and second runners-up will take home Sh500,000 and Sh250,000 respectively.
Notably, Betika Na Community is proud to uphold its commitment to gender equality by ensuring equal pay for both men’s and women’s teams participating in the tournament, setting a positive precedent for the sports industry in Kenya.
The tournament coordinator, Sports Promoter and former Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards defender Bramwel Karamoja explained the tournament details as follows;
Tournament Start: 10th March, 2024, Round of 16: 23rd March, 2024, Quarter-Finals: 29th March, 2024, Semi-Finals: 30th March, 2024Finals: 31st March, 2024.
Mutua Mutava, Managing Director of Betika, expressed his excitement about the initiative.
“We are delighted to be welcomed so warmly to Meru, and we are committed to making a significant impact in the community through sports. By launching the Meru Football Challenge under Betika Na Community, we aim to provide a platform for over 40 teams, comprising both men and women, to showcase their talent, enhance their skills, and compete in a fair and inclusive environment.”
Mutava further added, “With an investment of over Sh10m for this inaugural tournament, Betika Na Community hopes to empower the youth of Meru and support their journey towards sporting excellence. We envision Meru producing the next football champion, and we are dedicated to nurturing talent at the grassroots level.”
In attendance at the launch event were distinguished guests, including Benjamin Mungania, Meru County Youth Affairs, Gender, and Social Development Executive, and Ken Rungu, FKF Regional Chairman, underscoring the significance of the Meru Football Challenge in the local sports landscape.
“Meru football is on the rise, and is putting this county on the map, nationwide. I am happy to see this tournament come to fruition, because it is important to have sports keeping the youth busy, and combat some of the vices that can come about because of the youth being idle. We welcome Betika to Meru County and look forward to the tournament kick-off on the 10th,” said Mungania.
“I would like to extend every hospitality to the players, organisers of the Meru Football Challenge. I would like to echo the CEC’s comments that Meru football is on the rise and take it further – we will see the players do their talking on the field of play. We have seen local organisations and businesses adopting football teams, which is a testament to the good organisation and leadership that we are seeing from football teams in Meru County. This is the biggest football tournament we have had in Meru County, and we all look forward to the on-field action to kick off,” said Rungu.
The Meru Football Challenge promises to be an exciting and competitive event that celebrates the spirit of sportsmanship, teamwork, and inclusivity.
Author: Pristone Mambili
A trained Journalist with passion for Radio and online Writing.