Tonota FC’s rise to the FNB Premiership has been built on momentum. Now it has money behind it. Ahead of the club’s first season in Botswana’s top flight, Tonota unveiled sponsorship commitments worth more than P3.3 million, a significant financial injection that underlines growing belief in a project determined to do more than simply survive among the country’s football elite.
The headline deal comes from Old Mutual Short-Term, which has committed P2.5 million over three seasons in a partnership announced during the club’s kit and sponsorship launch. The agreement places the insurer’s logo on the front of Tonota’s match jersey and provides the club with one of the biggest commercial deals in its history.
For a newly promoted side, the timing could hardly be better. Tonota will enter a league dominated by established powers, but the club is increasingly attracting the kind of corporate backing usually reserved for teams with longer top-flight pedigrees. Bet267 has also joined the project, signing a two-season sponsorship worth P800,000. The betting company’s branding will feature on the sleeve of Tonota’s playing kit during the 2026/27 campaign.
For Bet267 director Mpho Chamo, the investment is about more than visibility.
“Our partnerships with football clubs are therefore not simply about putting a logo on a shirt. They are about building relationships, supporting football structures, engaging supporters, and creating opportunities for communities.”
“Football is more than just a sport. It brings communities together, creates opportunities, inspires young people, and gives people something to believe in,” Chamo said.
He argued that sponsorship should be measured by impact rather than branding alone.
“Our partnerships with football clubs are therefore not simply about putting a logo on a shirt. They are about building relationships, supporting football structures, engaging supporters, and creating opportunities for communities.”
The company said Tonota’s ambition, leadership and supporter base made the club an attractive long-term partner as it begins its Premiership journey.
“We recognise the hard work that goes into running a football club and competing at a high level. We hope this sponsorship will contribute towards the club’s ambitions and assist Tonota FC in achieving its objectives both on and off the field,” Chamo said.
The growing commercial support has inevitably raised expectations. Most newly promoted clubs speak cautiously about consolidation and survival. Tonota chairman Tumelo Toteng has chosen a different path. His ambitions stretch beyond a respectable first season. “We want to win the league; we want to finish the season undefeated. I can assure you that we are going to be champions. We want to play in the Champions League,” Toteng said.
