Betclic renews Birkirkara FC's sponsorship
by Ayrton Galea - 4th October 2012
Today Birkirkara FC held a press conference at Betlic's offices in Sliema to announce second sponsorship agreement with BetClic..
Mr. Michael Mifsud on behalf of Betclic said, "I would like to begin by welcoming the Club's President, Mr. Joe Zammit, the committee members of Birkirkara Football Club, and as well you, the journalists in the offices of Betclic in Malta. With us we have a small number of employers of our company and I would like to thank them for their presence.
"For the second time it is our truly joy that our company decided to renew the sponsorship of Birkirkara FC as a sign of support that Betclic wants to give to the Maltese sporting sector.
"It's good to mention that Betclic Group is one of the players in the industry of online gaming, and operate under different names like Betclic, Everest, bet-at-home and Expekt. The services that we offer to our clients, that amount to around twelve million from around the whole world, are suppoted by no less than 1000 employers and in 25 different languages. Our shareholders are two entities. First the LOV group, property of the entrepreneur who is well known in France, that is Stephanie Courbit, and the other entity is SBM that involves a big number of hotels, resorts and casinos in Montecarlo inside the principality of Monaco.
"It's good as well to mention that here Malta, inside this building, the group occupies 3,000 metres squared (and this is the biggest company here) and employes 300 employees, and around one third of them are Maltese. From here, we offer services to the Betclic Group around the word in the sectors of Customer Service, Risk & Fraud, Payments, Bookmaking and Software Development and we also have the departments of Finance, Human Resources, Design, IT Operations and not last the Legal Department whose head is Maltese and is responsible of the Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Division of the whole group.
"In our sector, we strictly abide with security standards and believe responsible gaming and we are members of professional organisations like the European Gaming and Betting Association and also the European Sports Security Association. Due to this, we have strict auditing at regular basis to make sure that we're following procedures that first of all respect our clients. For us, this certificate of integrity comes as the first priority.
"This brings me to a point that I wish to raise on this occasion. Recently we have heard a lot of talk about match fixing in local football. These things decrease the level of the Maltese sport. Unfortunately, opinion surveys show that attendances from the supporters maybe affected due to lack of trust in the integrity of football games. This is not right, because the little bad that exists does not have to affect the lot of good that is being done. In this sense the sponsorship that we're presenting today is a sign of the total trust in the integrity of the committee members, coaches and players of Birkirkara Football Club. Betclic Group is an entity that trusts and practices the value of integrity and we associate ourselves with organisations that equally adopt this value.
"For those who love the team of Birkirkara, like I do, it is nice to win the game, earn points and win honours (and if this happens next Saturday will surely be a great as well) but it always better that one competes with full motivation and integrity irrelevant from the final result. The honours ends up in the trophy cabinet of the Club but whatever one does will be on his conscience forever.
"In the name of the Betclic Group I would like to wish Birkirkara Football Club, the committee members, players and supporters a competitive season filled with success and a sporting spirit which leads to a winning mentality.”
"As a Karkariz I have to finish by saying 'Forza Rahal!'"
Then, Mr. Joe Zammit, the Club's President had the following to say about this sponsorship agreement. “As the president of the Club of Birkirkara I would like to show my appreciation that once again Betclic is sponsoring us for another year.
“Sponsorships like this show the commitment of prestigious brands like BetClic to help the local game of football. This will be a contribution that will help our Club to be stronger and to be more competitive, and in a position to invest more to improve the potential of our players.
“It is sponsorships like these that help us to relieve a bit from the huge expenses incurred in keeping the Club in the Premier Division, and more than this, to be able to compete for the main honours. In these last twelve years since I become involved in local football, first as a Vice President and now as a President, the expense to have a squad like ours is always increasing. When one considers that the income of the Maltese Clubs is very limited it is vital that our Club participates in European Competitions, but still that income is not enough if we are to remain competitive.
“Our target since 1996 was not only to participate but to be protagonists, and to achieve this you have to invest capital, to maintain the same level of the other protagonists. Therefore, a sponsorship like the one offered by Betclic is vital for us, because it helps us maintain the structure of our Club.
“I would like to thank Mr. Mifsud that was always available to help our Club and wish the Betclic brand more success in their work.
“I hope that association of Birkirkara Football Club for another year with Betclic will be a satisfying one and I hope that this agreement will be renewed for a number of years. Thanks once again.
After the speech of the President, it was the First Team's Captain Gareth Sciberras to give his views about the current squad and the upcoming match against Valletta.
“Currently there is a young squad with players who have enormous talent in the local scene, embellished with foreigners who are amongst the best in Malta, and this group of players so far is going through a good period.
“We have an important game this weekend but we're treating it as any other game by preparing normally with one-hundred percent commitment. Currently the group is very united and we will be staying close together till the final day of the season, and it is a very long season.
In conclusion, it was the Head Coach's turn, Mr. Paul Zammit to give his comments to this sponsorship and Saturday's big match against Valletta.
“It is very important that sponsors like this help our Club. The first step for the local clubs should be that they lead with a professional attitude and sponsors like these continue to help the Club to be a strong one. Financially, the Club must see how achieve its wishes and this has to begin from the administration. In the name of the Technical Staff I would like thank Mr. Mifsud on behalf of Betclic that showed faith in Birkirkara FC.
“This Saturday's game is like all the rest. We will be playing against Valletta and we will deal with it the same like last Sunday's match or any other match. It is normal that you know the opponents' level where it is. We know that we will be playing against a team that recently was the best, and has a rich history. On paper they are the best local team at the moment.
“The current team is one that we began to work on since last January and we stuck to our vision. We prepared for the Europa League games and I was very proud of the players. Although we didn't lose, we were eliminated by Metalurg Skopje but with our heads held high. We continued to prepare for the first games of the league where we could judge our potential and where we can go with our versatility against different opponent. So far, I'm very happy with the players' attitude but the atmosphere in the dressing room does not come out of nowhere. There is hard work from everyone. The protagonists are the players and the merit to what we have achieved so far goes to them, but there is a very long way to go, but I'm sure that with the players that we have we can continue to strengthen what we have already built.
