Football Association of Malawi (Fam) has asked affiliates to comply with guidelines to access grants.
Fam First Vice President Justice Jabbar Alide, who is also the chairperson for the taskforce, said this yesterday when the association unpacked this year’s grants for its nine affiliates at Mpira Village in Blantyre.
The associations— Super League of Malawi (Sulom), Southern Region Football Association (SRFA), Northern Region Football Association, Central Region Football Association (CRFA), Beach Soccer Association (BSA), National Women Football Association (NWFA), National Youth Football Association (NYFA), National Football Coaches Association (NFCA), National Football Referees Association (NFRA)— are supposed to provide proof of an active bank account with at least three signatories.
Fam affiliates are also required to justify how they will add value to sports through the grants.
Alide said the grants and subventions are readily available for associations to access once they fulfil the conditions.
“This is not free money that should be used willy-nilly; there is a need for continued oversight to ensure that all funds are used responsibly. The associations have to fully comply with the conditions; otherwise, their allocations will be forfeited.
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“For this financial support to make great impact, there is a need for continued oversight to ensure that all funds are used responsibly and this is the more reason why Fam has come up with a governance system to guide the access and use of these resources,” Alide said.
The subsidy includes an annual contribution of up to K100 million subvention to Sulom and K25 million to each of the three regional associations (CRFA, NRFA, SRFA).
According to the arrangement, Sulom’s K100 million grant will include K80 million for clubs financial assistance and K20 million for their professionalisation.
Players’ medical cover has been budgeted at K34 million while NWFA will get K135 million grant, with NYFA receiving K130 million.
NFCA and NFRA will each pocket K70 million. BSA will be given K45 million.
The taskforce also revealed that Sulom will get K15 million subvention while the rest of the Fam affiliates will get K10 million each.
Bangwe All Stars owner Gift Jika applauded Fam for the gesture, saying promoted teams will get a financial cushion.
“We have received the news with excitement; the money will help our club meet the basic requirements of a top-tier team playing competitive football.
“As one of the teams benefitting from the programme, we will ensure that all funds are used responsibly to achieve football development objectives,” Jika said.
The member associations will receive funding in two installments.
Launched in January 2023, Fifa Forward 3.0 is providing a more comprehensive funding and support to football development projects across the world to build a stronger foundation for the growth of football.