St Catherine FA signs sweet deal with LIME

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

St Catherine's football received a major boost yesterday when telecommunications company LIME handed over a cheque for $15 million to parish president Peter Reid.

The three-year sponsorship will cover all St Catherine Football Association-run competitions.

Wayne Lawrence, vice-president of marketing, handed over the cheque at a press conference held at the Portmore Heart Academy yesterday.

"LIME sees the immense potential in St Catherine football and so we are taking the lead in providing the support and the resources that the parish's football association needs, not just for this year's competitions, but for the overall development of the sport and the players," said Lawrence.

"Over the years, LIME has put its weight behind practically every major sport in the island, from cricket to football, and from netball to track and field, and whenever we have become involved we have supported the long-term development of the sport, and we intend to continue this tradition," Lawrence said.

Reid, president of the St Catherine Football Association, expressed delight at the sponsorship.

"LIME is setting the stage for the diamond to shine with its comprehensive sponsorship of football in St Catherine for the next three years," Reid said with a broad smile.

"This means a lot to us, and I want to start by saying thanks to LIME, because I always said St Catherine football is a diamond in the rough and the person who discovers it will benefit significantly," Reid said.

Strategic plans

Reid added that his association in the past had a lot of strategic plans to help with development of football in the parish, but lack of financial support forced them to cancel these plans.

"We now have sponsorship and so we can put those strategic plans in place," Reid said. "We can also demand more from the clubs because a lot of their expenses will be covered now.

"One of our problems in St Catherine is the structure of our clubs, and we will be working very hard to improve that, all because of this sponsorship that we have obtained from LIME."

The St Catherine Major League competition, the premier football championship in the parish, is set to kick off tomorrow at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.

Eleven clubs are down to contest this year's competition, with the winners gaining promotion to the South Central Super League, which promotes teams to the all-island Premier League competition. The bottom-two finishers will be demoted to the lower division.

Participating clubs are Flamingo, Portsmouth, De la Vega, DB Basovak, Arlington, Albion, Black Lion, Police, Cumberland, Dunbeholden, Wanderers and Rodwood.