Leading international property company, Growthpoint, has renewed its headline sponsorship of Tennis South Africa (TSA) for a further three years.
Growthpoint Properties first became the headline sponsor of the Federation in July 2017 – on an initial two-year contract. The new sponsorship agreement commences from 1 July 2019 and, and as with the first sponsorship term, continues to focus on grassroots tennis – specifically:
· Transformation and development: TSA’s existing four national development centres, as well as the thrive fund for junior high-performance players.
· Juniors: Key tournaments – specifically the Super 8 series, Junior Masters and Junior Nationals, as well as the TSA junior national squad programme.
· Seniors (Veterans): All age group Inter Provincials and Nationals.
· Club tennis: The Top Guns national club event.
Richard Glover, CEO of TSA commented: While we still have a long way to go, all of our data suggests local tennis is on an upwards trajectory. A significant amount of the credit for this resurgence must be given to Growthpoint Properties and their investment in TSA over the last two years. Growthpoint understands that for a sport to thrive, investment is needed in the foundations – hence their focus on the grassroots. We are delighted they have continued to back our vision to grow the sport and we look forward to a productive partnership over the next three years.
Growthpoint’s sponsorship of TSA has allowed the Federation to launch four national development centres in Atteridgeville, Cape Town, Durban and Soweto, respectively. Earlier this year a product of the Durban Growthpoint centre, Siyabonga Jaca, represented the TSA under 12 national team in Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, Lesego Mokgoetsi, who is based at the Soweto Growthpoint centre, recently received national high schools tennis colours and will shortly be travelling to the United Kingdom with the SA schools team.
Estienne de Klerk, CEO of Growthpoint Properties South Africa, added: We are delighted to continue this impactful partnership to drive tennis development, and we look forward to another three years of working with TSA to create even more space for South Africa’s tennis talent to thrive. Our sponsorship of TSA reinforces the company’s focus on championing grassroots sports development for children from all backgrounds, investing in their potential, and shining the light on the country’s tremendous talent. At Growthpoint, investment in South Africa’s social fabric goes hand-in-hand with our investment in its urban fabric.
In the junior tennis space, TSA has also seen a 10% year on year increase in participation in Growthpoint sponsored junior tournaments. Meanwhile Growthpoint Top Guns – a national club doubles team format for men and women – has shown encouraging growth for its recently completed 2018/2019 edition.
Nadine Kuzmanich, Head of Marketing at Growthpoint concluded: Sport has the power to uplift and connect, and this aligns perfectly with our values and our extensive efforts in community and social development. Growthpoint’s is proud to be associated with TSA and growing the sport of tennis locally, which allows us to showcase our brand within communities across South Africa, to spectators at championship courts and to viewers enjoying the exciting matches on their home screens.
Growthpoint provides space to thrive with innovative and sustainable property solutions. It is the largest South African primary listed REIT on the JSE with R140bn in assets and a diversified portfolio of investments on three continents. It is a FTSE/JSE Top 40 Index company and Top 10 constituent of the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Emerging Index and is also in the FTSE4Good Emerging Index and FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index.
TSA is the controlling body for tennis in South Africa and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game in the country. Its mandate is to grow the sport across three critical pillars: interest participation and high performance.
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Released by:
Growthpoint Properties Limited
Nadine Kuzmanich
Head, Marketing and Communication
Tel: 011 944 6251
Tennis South Africa
Anthony Moruthane, Commercial Manager
Tel: 011 442 0500
Mahlatse Bojanyane on 083 453 6668 or email [email protected].