[Intl-tobacco] Malawi: BAT soccer (football) field

[Robert Weissman]

Sunday, 29 December 2002

BAT Ground Opens January
Blantyre, Malawi
By Tusekele Mwanyongo

Owners of Malawi's Soccer Mecca, the BAT ground, the Blantyre and
Districts
Football League (BDFL), have disclosed that action returns to that pitch
next
month after lying idle for months because the ground was in a
sub-standard state.

The pitch was closed in July to pave way for rehabilitation work, which
is
being carried out by the Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC).

British American Tobacco (BAT) is financing the project to the tune of
K400,000.
The BAT Ground is the BDFL's major income generating facility.

"Everything is going on very well and the contractors, MHC, have assured
us that
the ground will be ready for use towards the end of January next year.

"The grass which has been planted is responding very well to the rains,"
said the
league's General Secretary, Anthony Chimphepo, recently.

He said the contractors are rehabilitating the terraces and toilets,
among other
dilapidated structures.

"We hope everything will be ready for use when action resumes on the
ground," he
said.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) Public Relations and Marketing
Officer,
Isabel Maziya, said the re-opening of the ground would help ease
congestion of
fixtures at the few grounds currently being used for Super League games.

"That will definitely assist in reducing congestion of games at some
grounds. We
are struggling to give all the teams games due to inadequate playing
fields. We
believe the BAT ground will also help us finish the 2002-03 season on
time as it
will accommodate some games," she said.

Meanwhile, Chimphepo has asked companies and individuals of goodwill to
sponsor the BDFL Premier and Division One Leagues, which are running
without
sponsorship