Premier Bet Malawi has said it will invest over K80 million to build a state of the art netball academy in Blantyre as well as refurbish Zingwangwa youth centre in the city.

The company disclosed this when it officially signed a Memorundum of Understanding (MoU) with the city officials at City Council hall.

Fady Younes, Chief Executive Officer for Premier Bet stated the facility they will construct will be one of a kind in the city.

"The facility will have dorms, changing rooms, showers and offices for the management team. The coach will be assigned full time for the Academy to scout and teach.

"We will also build proper professional court with Olympic standard to accommodate international games."

Younes justified the choice to go for the netball academy because of the opportunity it offers to strengthen the women's game.

He cited that the results netball has brought on the international stage are amazing and they need the push as it will also help unearth talent.

The facility will be free for those who want to train and according to the CEO, the secretariat of the academy will be paid for by the betting company.

The CEO explained this is the first project of such a significant amount in sports in Blantyre but other projects will be developed in other centres; the north and the central region.

Lytton Nkata, Acting Chief Executive Officer for Blantyre City expressed excitement with coming in of the project by the company for the city and its residents.

He appealed to the users to keep the facilities intact: "It will go a long way to provide useful things that they (the youth) can participate in instead of other things that cannot help them."

Nkata went on to explain: "Government has endeavoured to provide all kinds of services but in many cases we are dismayed with cases of vandalism. The appeal is that people have ownership, desist from vandalizing. The facility is for the benefit of the citizens, residents of Blantyre.

The CEO then asked other companies to emulate the gesture by Premier Bet to use their corporate stand for the benefit of the society they work and operate in.

Costly Chanza, Director of Planning and Estates Services said the city has a few youth centres which are not adequate as well as being in deplorable state citing the youth centres in Bangwe, Ndirande and the famous Blantyre youth centre close to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.

Premier bet expressed interest to renovate sport arenas in the city since last year October.