The Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) has said it will no longer provide annual subventions to its affiliate associations.
Volleyball Association of Malawi (VAM) is one of the associations that receives money from MNCS.
VAM has been receiving about MK2,000,000 as annual subvention from the Council.
MNCS is a Government agency that implement sport policies under Department of Sports in Ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development.
The council has said it will not fund meetings, but only sports programs that will be highlighted in associations’ strategic plan.
Meanwhile, VAM has expressed concern that the restriction will cripple its activities.
“The development of not funding meetings was supposed to be defined properly as some of the meetings are very vital towards the program implementations. We cannot come up with programs both locally and internationally without people meeting to plan.
“The development will be a challenge to most of the Associations as most of them are not attached to company sponsorships,” VAM General Secretary, Jairos Nkhoma complained.
Addressing the concern from Nkhoma, MNCS Executive Secretary, George Jana, said that the meetings being referred to are those that are administrative in nature.
“MNCS will not be funding administrative activities (meetings inclusive) for Associations,” Jana clarified.
He continued to say that MNCS will only be funding clear cut development plans that are in Association’s Strategic Plan document.
Jana also revealed that they are planning to help the Associations in coming up with the strategic plans.
“The Council will however, like it is with all associations that don’t have strategic plans, work with VAM ensure that these plans are developed and properly implemented. Currently we are working on a schedule for the preparation of the strategic plans with the concerned associations,” he said.
Responding to the development, Nkhoma said VAM will start taking money from clubs considering that VAM has no sponsors or partners to support its administrative activities.
“To move on with the new development, as VAM we need to fully involve our teams/clubs affiliates by making sure that they affiliate with a certain annual fee as stipulated in our constitution. The little contributions can help the association to add value to the funds through a number of activities which can regenerate funds.
“We have been blessed in the past to have individuals using their own funds in the daily affairs of the Association, but such trend cannot be sustained as times are different in financial set up. The development of our sport must not only be left to committees, but it must be joint venture from both Teams/Clubs and companies”, he added.
Nkhoma also prayed for a change in the way volleyball stakeholders have been working. He asked all Leagues and stakeholders to be accommodative and work hand in hand with VAM on the development.
“Therefore, the new development from Sports Council can be a thing under the carpet if we change our way of work in a combined efforts as our friends do in other countries. We believe in teamwork and its our hope that that solutions will be embraced when we have meetings with our regional Leagues and stakeholders”, Nkhoma advised.
Nkhoma did not disclose as to when VAM intend to meet the Leagues and stakeholders but declared that so far VAM has a 2016- 2021 strategic plan in place already.
*Information courtesy of Volleyball Association of Malawi*
