Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has announced the addition of two new sponsors, further bolstering the federation’s financial sustainability. The JFF revealed partnerships with Smart Mobile Solutions (SMS) and Awnings, Windows, Doors, and Shower Enclosures (AWDS) by Bernie Limited.
SMS has contributed $800,000 worth of laptops, while AWDS has donated two tents. These contributions come on the heels of a recent $200-million deal with distillery giant Wray & Nephew and a partnership with marketing company 876Stream.
Michael Ricketts, JFF president, highlighted the progress made by his administration in making the sport more marketable. “We’ve made a concerted effort to make the sport marketable and we’ve succeeded, to a degree, because of the work of the staff at the JFF and our marketing department. Football in Jamaica is not so much of a difficult sell. As it is now, we’re doing well. We just came out of [Copa] which was very exciting and filled with intrigue. But we just need to have a marketing arm that is willing to work and I think that has helped us,” he told the media.
Reflecting on the contributions from SMS and AWDS, Ricketts emphasized the value of support from corporate entities. “When I spoke to the CEO of SMS, he said that he played football so most persons who are in corporate entities have the experience of playing the sport of football, so once we get things right, once we do things on the field that makes the sport attractive, I think we will get sponsors. Our general secretary has done an excellent job, our board of directors have worked very hard and I think we still have a lot more to do and we will definitely be crafting a way forward to ensure football remains a viable sport.”
Holistic development
SMS Managing Director Dane Spencer expressed optimism that their contribution would lead to improvements at the JFF. “Technology, generally, is a facilitator and is really and truly supposed to make them operationally more efficient. They’re going to have different programs for the referees, coaches, and a lot of these internal communications will flow through these devices so when we provide them, it should make them more efficient. We just hope that it’s a small contribution towards taking them one step further in terms of being administratively sound,” Spencer said.
AWDS Chief Executive Officer Mark Anthony Bernard shared his hopes for holistic development through their sponsorship. “Being a Jamaican, Jamaica is about everything sports and, also, one of our aims is to be part of nation-building, so in this way, we can contribute in building the sport of football. Hopefully, it will contribute to greater things, so this is just an opportunity to be part of something that’s definitely Jamaican,” said Bernard. “Coming from a community level, we’ve always tried to develop our community in some sense, so reaching out in this way gives us a medium to show that we’re definitely here to stay and see everything grow to what we all want it to be.”
Ricketts expressed hope that more sponsors would join in supporting the JFF. “One-one cocoa full basket and we’re just very appreciative of small companies coming on and making significant contributions. We got five computers and we got tents which are something we really do need and if every small company could come on and make a small contribution, then it would touch the lives of some boy or girl in some disenfranchised community,” he said.
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