Bokamoso Sports Agency’s Head of Sponsorship and Marketing, Jessica Nkomo, popularly known as Aunty Diski, aims to be a voice for women and young girls in the sport sponsorship space.
For the past two years, Bokamoso and her team have been hard at work to ensure their dream of launching the agency came to life.
In 2022, the newly developed organisation is now up and running, aiming to enable women and girls in sport with access to opportunities that could yield monetary value.
At the agency, Bokamoso’s duties include securing endorsement deals for players and seeking sponsorship opportunities with various institutions.
She says it is important to have a women’s sport sponsorship agency to ensure that women receive equal recognition and added value for their contribution to the game.
Speaking with Tlamelo Kganakga, Nkomo reveals the financial challenges of sustaining a start-up business and shares her aspirations.
Aunty Diski, thank you for chatting to us. Please tell us about yourself and where you are from.
My name is Jessica Bokamoso Nkomo but most know me by my brand name Aunty Diski. I am from Mokopane, Limpopo by origin but was born; raised and schooled in Fourways both Primary and High School and till this day I am stuck here with the traffic, haha.
How did Bokamoso Sports Agency come about?
I have always been passionate about sport but women in sport was closer to my heart. I have been following the journey of hardships that women have been dealt with and how demotivated most of them have become from doing what they love, yet feel systems aren’t supporting them. I then identified an opportunity to use the skills and resources that I have gained in the past few years to assist in tackling some of the issues – by creating an organization that is their voice and will assist and enable them to gain access to some opportunities that could bring them monetary value.
As the Director and Head of Sponsorship and Marketing, please tell us more about your individual responsibilities.
My responsibility is to ensure that the agency’s objectives to represent these athletes are met on a daily basis. To ensure that each athlete is looked after and their needs are met, knocking on doors on their behalf to secure endorsement deals and new club signings, finding sponsorships and partners for the business and to ensure that our team behind the scenes is happy and working together
Why did you think it’s important to establish this agency specifically for women in sport?
For many years, women were not celebrated and given equal opportunities in sport spaces. Even today, we are still fighting to break stereotypes and award women in sport the applause that is due to them. This agency is an example of a component of the moving ship that we are all trying to steer in ensuring that women are fairly represented and get equal recognition as their male counterparts and to become the voice of women.
What do you think needs to improve for women in sport to gain support from sponsors?
Companies need to give us an opportunity to present to them. The process to get through to sponsorship is barricaded; it almost makes it impossible to get access to the right parties to engage with and for companies to open up the industry in partnering up with organizations that empower women and women in sports.
What are the challenges you have faced since you opened the agency?
Funding. I believe every start up or business requires financial backing to run and to ensure that tools and resources required can be covered. The business is currently running on team contribution and no external funding and that is a big challenge that we face currently.
What are some of your career highlights to date?
On an individual capacity I would say that getting nominated at the Women in Sports Awards as the Personality of the Year was a great achievement for me. For the agency, it would be the actual day of the launch. Bringing what has been 2 years of research and networking to life was heart-warming and not forgetting the amazing team we have that made it all possible, Seipati Chauke in the Legal Department and Ofentse Pitso in the PR and Social Media space.
What are you hoping to achieve with the agency when it comes to helping women to get sponsors?
To equip them with opportunities that will help them realize the importance of brand visibility and how beneficial it can be for their careers. Helping them make partnerships that they can work with even beyond their field time. To grow, learn and understand that they can become the voice of other women through platforms they will be provided with.
Photo 1 Caption: Bokamoso Sports Agency’s Head of Sponsorship and Marketing, Jessica Nkomo, popularly known as Aunty Diski, aims to be a voice for women and young girls in the sport sponsorship space. Photo: Supplied
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