Malaysian Basketball Boosted By Private Sponsorship Deals

The Malaysia Basketball Association (Maba), which has been without a main sponsor since Petronas ended its 20-year partnership in 2015, signed a year-long deal worth ~US$790.6k with Westports Malaysia (US$564.7k) and property firm PRG Holdings (US$225.9k). This is a significant upgrade from the Petronas long-term deal, which yielded a total investment of US$4.74m, and even saw a reduction in sponsorship coffers from 2010-15.

The sponsorship money will be used to support the development and training of the national coaching staff as well as the men and women’s national teams. It will also be used to renovate and upgrade the Maba Stadium, which hasn’t been refurbished since 2001. Work on the 2,500-seater stadium, which has already begun, is expected to be completed next month.

Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has lauded the efforts of Maba and shipping logistics company Westports. The company also owns a professional basketball franchise – the Westports Malaysia Dragons, which competes in the Asean Basketball League.

“This is the best example of having a corporate sponsor supporting local sports and working together in synergy. Hopefully, this will set a good example to other sports associations that they do not need to rely fully on government funding,” said Khairy.