Keisha Hill, Staff Reporter

Patrick Roberts of Arnett Gardens Football Club (left) and Steve McNally of Portmore United (right) show the new jerseys sponsored by Coca-Cola for the National Under-21 Football League at the Jamaica Football Federation office, yesterday. Managing Director of Wisynco, William Mahfood, looks on. - junior dowie

Glory days are here for the struggling national Under-21 football league. Coca-Cola Jamaica and local distributors and bottlers Wisynco Group Limited yesterday signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) valued at $71.1 million.

Title sponsors, Coca-Cola Jamaica, will be contributing $23.7 million per annum. Details of the sponsorship show that Wisynco has an automatic guarantee of one year and the option to renew the title sponsorship at the same level for an additional two years. The annual sponsorship includes $12 million directly to the teams ($1 million per team), $5.7 million in media support, promotion and prizes, and $6 million in product support.

Hosting website

Coca-Cola will also facilitate the hosting of the Under-21 league on their website-icokecaribbean.com. The intention is for the site to be used as an information hub for the league with player profiles, results, among other features.

The deal offers other benefits to the JFF, as Wata will be the official bottled water of both the Premier League, and the Coca Cola National Under-21 football leagues. Each team will receive a significant allotment of Coca Cola, Wata and Coca Cola's Isotonic drink, Power Ade.

Managing Director of Wisynco, William Mahfood, said that his company's investment is a solid indication of Wisynco and Coca-Cola's commitment to the development of football in Jamaica. Mahfood outlined that, "Wisynco invested on behalf of Coca-Cola because the brand throughout the world is associated with sports and more prominently football. It is now the responsibility of the JFF and the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) to maintain and preserve the football culture in Jamaica," he said.

Four important stages

Brainchild behind the execution of the sponsorship, Zachary Harding, who is current advisor to the Minister of Tourism, effected the arrangements when he held the post of marketing manager at Wisynco. Harding, who is currently on secondment from Wisynco stated that, "It is because of the players and the potential of the players that we became involved in this programme. There are four important stages in football development. It starts from the primary, prep and the high school levels. However, there is a gap between the high school and the premier league," he said

He added: "When people leave from schoolboy football there is this big space. A lot of them are super talented and are at the peak of their careers where they need the coaching and training. Therefore we need to fill that gap with the Under-21 league."

David Burton, business development manager of Wisynco, said that their investment in the Under-21 league was aimed at honing young talent in preparation for competition to the international level.

"We believe that our significant sponsorship to the Under-21 league is valuable for Wisynco and Coca-Cola because the audience that the football season attracts for nine months, even at the U-21 level is significantly more than any other local sports event," Burton said.

He added: "This is an investment in the youth, and in many respects, this league is really the true cradle for international careers as many international scouts will look to the league for players based on the propensity for young players."

Primary bridge

The sponsorship was made possible through the joint efforts of the JFF and the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA), chaired by former Prime Minister Edward Seaga.

According to Seaga, the Under-21 league is a primary bridge from schoolboy football to the premier league and the World Cup. Seaga said the league, which he referred to as the 'phantom league', " was not easy to find sponsorship for".

"We are glad that Wisynco came on board to raise the bar of the league," he said. "A lot has to be done to highlight the league and encourage media and public participation. The league will be separated from the premier league as most matches are played as a curtain raiser to the premier league matches. We need to give the league an identity."

President of the JFF, captain Horace Burrell, stated that Wisynco's collaboration with the JFF would enhance and help football in Jamaica to reach higher heights.

"History has been created today. For the first time our Under-21 league has been supported in a substantial way," Burrell noted.

"It is no secret that our football programme needs several shots in both arms and we wish to thank Wisynco and Coca-Cola for taking on this important programme," the Captain added.

"This sponsorship will give for the Under-17 and Under-20 a real chance to be seen by the technical staff. The new JFF board is fired up and is committed to take football to another level."