Malawi has never lacked football talent, but countless promising players have seen their dreams fade because opportunities to develop and reach the professional stage have remained out of reach. A new K900 million investment aims to change that by turning raw potential into successful careers.
NICO Group says its three-year sponsorship of Ascent Soccer Academy is designed to give talented boys and girls access to quality coaching, international exposure and structured development, creating a clear pathway from grassroots football to the professional game.
The group’s Marketing Director Taweni Gondwe Xaba said the decision to support Ascent was driven by the need to help talented young people convert their abilities into meaningful opportunities.
“As the NICO Group, which includes NBS Bank and Eris Properties, we are very proud to have this incredible opportunity to invest in the talent of Malawi,” Xaba said.
She said Malawi has no shortage of football talent, but many gifted players struggle to progress because of limited resources and exposure.
“There is a lot of talent in this country, but what is missing is resources to be put behind that talent, and it’s the opportunity and exposure for those young people to be able to turn their natural gifts into a professional opportunity,” she said.
Xaba said NICO’s approach is based on sustainable and impactful giving, ensuring that support provided creates long-term benefits for communities and individuals.
She said the group believes Ascent Soccer is the right platform because of the academy’s long-term investment in young people since its establishment in 2014.
“It’s not just investment in soccer talent; they’re also investing in education, making sure that these young people don’t just know how to play football, but they’re able to actually build a career after that,” Xaba said.
According to NICO, the sponsorship is expected to strengthen the academy’s ability to identify more talented players, provide better development structures and increase opportunities for young footballers to compete and gain exposure.
Ascent Soccer Academy Director Mark Swerk said the partnership would help the academy expand its work of developing players who can represent Malawi at different levels.
“We believe that this will really help us take what we are doing already to a better level, and hopefully we are able to produce more players over the next years,” Swerk said.
He said the investment would allow the academy to increase scouting efforts and reach more areas in search of promising talent.
For NICO, the measure of success will not only be the number of trophies won, but the number of young lives changed through football.
The company believes that with the right support, Malawi’s football talent can move from potential to opportunity, creating a new generation of players capable of making an impact locally and internationally.
