Wema Alat Extends Support to SociaLiga League for Third Consecutive Year

Nigeria’s first fully digital bank, ALAT by Wema Bank has renewed its sponsorship of the SociaLiga football league for the third consecutive year.

The semi-professional football league which is in its fifth season kicked off at Digital Bridge Institute, former Nitel Training School, Cappa, Lagos on Saturday, May 22, 2021, with representatives from Wema Bank in attendance.

SociaLiga football league is an annual tournament created in 2014 and endorsed by the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA).

The league is aimed at providing a platform for young Nigerians to cultivate and satisfy their sporting interests while networking with others and participating in fun activities.

In its six years of existence, SociaLiga has recorded an attendance of over 37,000 individuals who use the exciting activities and colourful atmosphere during the games for social engagement purposes.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league was postponed in 2020. However, for this year’s edition, precautionary measures have been put in place to ensure strict compliance with the anti-COVID-19 guidelines and procedures in order to safeguard the wellbeing of players and attendees at the event.

The six-month tournament will field over 200 football players across 14 teams of which four of these teams are exclusively female. The inclusion of more female teams in this edition was part of the league’s advocacy for increased female participation and representation in the Nigerian football community.

Speaking on the league and ALAT’s renewed sponsorship, Fumilayo Falola, head, marketing, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, Wema Bank said, “for the past three years, we have embarked on the journey of passion and excitement with SociaLiga because we are aligned in our vision to give young Nigerians a space that encourages expression, networking and community-building.

“As a socially responsible financial institution, we are committed to building and nurturing a value-driven relationship and in doing so, we are collaborating with SociaLiga to support football and provide a platform for young players to achieve their goals and aspirations.”

Olaniyan Caxton-Martins, managing director of SociaLiga while unveiling the participating teams for this year’s edition acknowledged the impact of ALAT’s three-year sponsorship, “we have received tremendous support from partners like ALAT by Wema Bank, who have been consistent in their sponsorship since they came on board as one of the major partners of this league.

“We sincerely appreciate their support in accelerating SociaLiga’s vision of being the preferred outfit for sporting, lifestyle and entertainment in Africa.”

Since its inception in 2017, ALAT by Wema Bank has actively participated in several youth-friendly initiatives like the GameOn Turf Football Competition, Social Media Week, Moremi Hall Week at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, amongst others.

ALAT has also won numerous awards such as the Best Digital Bank and Best Mobile App in Nigeria at the 2017 World Finance Awards; Best Digital Bank in Africa at the 2018 Asian Banker Awards, and many others for its innovation in the banking space.