NAIROBI, February 2 – The 2010 Kenya Premier League season gets underway with the ALL-NEW SuperSport/DStv champions cup set for February 7 at the Nyayo National stadium.
Kenya Premier League champions Sofapaka will take on FKL champions AFC Leopards in the traditional curtain raiser from 3pm with the winner walking away with a huge cash prize.
Winners of the traditional season curtain raiser will walk away with half a million shillings while losers with pockets Sh250,000.
SuperSport and DStv are sponsoring the trophy to the tune of 2 million shillings with the rest of the cash going into marketing and publicity ahead of the match.
The match will give Sofapaka a chance to showcase their new signings who include Edgar Ochieng, two Nigerians and a Tanzanian while AFC Leopards will also be keen to display their new recruits.
SuperSport Head of Africa Gary Rathbone said that they had decided to sponsor the curtain raiser to get the league off to a good start.
"Supersport wants to get behind the KPL from the very beginning of the season and sponsoring this match is a good way to do that. We also see our sponsorship of this cup as a means to help our two teams who have qualified for the CAF competitions prepare for their opening matches with a tough, competitive fixture. And the prize money on offer is also a way we can contribute to the additional expenses that come with taking part in the preliminary rounds of the CAF competitions. We need to do what we can for our KPL teams in the CAF tournaments because their successes will reflect positively on the KPL, Supersport and Kenyan football as a whole,” said Rathbone.
The battle will be a prelude of what promises to be a spectacular season.
Now in the third year of a lucrative four year TV deal with KPL worth a whooping Sh360 million, SuperSport will take its coverage to new heights.
SuperSport’s involvement will be bigger than ever with the giant broadcaster set to broadcast between 60-70 matches this season with at least two live games every weekend.
In addition to using Nyayo National Stadium and City stadium, SuperSport will also broadcast matches from Afraha stadium in Nakuru, Naivasha, Thika and Hope Centre.
There are also plans to include Mumias in the second half of the season.
