M-PAiSA has launched its first-ever sponsorship venture under Digital Financial Services Pte Limited, backing a nationwide Netball Fiji Rally aimed at identifying grassroots talent and creating pathways for young girls to reach national and international levels.
While announcing the sponsorship, the General Manager of Digital Financial Services Pte Limited, Shailendra Prasad says the company wanted its first major sponsorship commitment to support grassroots women’s sport and communities across the country.
He says M-PAiSA is a homegrown service that has reached hundreds of thousands of Fijians, particularly at the grassroots level, and supporting women’s netball was a natural fit.
He says 50 percent of M-PAiSA users are female, with women playing a major role in managing household finances, supporting their families, running small businesses and keeping local economies moving.
The nationwide rally will reach the Western, Northern and Central Eastern regions, involving districts including Suva, Nasinu, Tailevu and Naitasiri, communities from Sigatoka to Rakiraki, as well as Labasa, Savusavu, Bua and Taveuni.
He says the initiative is designed to take opportunities directly to grassroots players and give young girls a genuine platform to showcase their talent.
The General Manager says Fiji has seen many men build successful international careers through rugby and rugby league, and the question now is why women should not have similar opportunities through netball.
He says the rally could become a launching pad for a young girl in a rural village to be discovered, rise through the national system and eventually carve out a professional career internationally.
He says M-PAiSA wants Fijian netballers to believe that competing in professional competitions such as the ANZ Premiership and Suncorp Super Netball is within their reach.
Beyond professional pathways, he says the initiative is also focused on keeping young girls active, healthy and focused while providing mentorship, building teamwork and giving them a positive outlet away from negative social pressures.
M-PAiSA is supporting the rally in partnership with its parent company, Vodafone Fiji, which has a long history of supporting sport in the country.
The General Manager says just as homegrown M-PAiSA rose to national prominence by positively impacting and empowering thousands of women across Fiji, the company hopes the sponsorship can help netball achieve similar growth.
He also pointed to Cape Verde as an example of how a relatively small country can gain international recognition through sport, saying Fiji can also take its netball to greater heights by identifying raw talent and nurturing it.
He says the court now belongs to players across the Western, Northern and Central Eastern divisions, and M-PAiSA is proud to support their journey.
