The St Mary Major League starts on Sunday with two matches at Westmoreland Oval in Annotto Bay, and the parish football body will enter the season with McKay Security as its new naming-rights partner after operating for years without a sponsor.
The company has responded to an appeal from St Mary FA President James Pearson by putting forward $1 million. Pearson said on Friday that the presentation would be made at Sunday’s launch, alongside another $500,000 pledged by Member of Parliament Robert Montague.
“Dr Jason McKay will hand over the cheque at Sunday’s launch plus the $500,000 committed by Member of Parliament Robert Montague,” Pearson said, noting that the parish’s premier football competition will now be called the McKay Security St Mary FA Major League.
McKay Security recently finalised sponsorship arrangements valued at $9.6 million with the Kingston and St Andrew, and St Thomas football associations. Those agreements included broadcast components, a shared nutrition initiative with KFC, and extra prize incentives for winning teams.
The security firm is also set to enter a side in the St Mary FA Under-17 League. McKay said his aim is to help keep Jamaica’s leading youth footballers playing regularly as they work towards senior parish teams and, later, national selection.
“I want Jamaica, as a country, to have the best Under-17 players constantly in competition, making their way into the parish’s senior teams and, eventually, the national programme,” McKay said.
He added that placing players from outside the customary football communities into one team should raise interest and sharpen rivalry at the junior level. Pearson said that idea fits well with the association’s development plans.
“It is welcoming and will add to the whole development process of the parish, which will be an added assistance to the St Mary FA,” Pearson said. “McKay Security fielding a team will definitely add to the excitement and force the clubs to ensure they are fielding the best against the ‘town’ ‘ballers.”
Pearson, who led the St Mary FA through three seasons without sponsorship, described the backing from McKay and Montague as a major blessing.
“I am a faith-based person and I must thank God Almighty for this divine intervention,” he said. “I cannot have enough gratitude. From nothing in three years, we now have a sponsorship package of $1.5m.”
Pearson said the public appeal has also drawn other interest, though he is not ready to identify those possible supporters until talks produce firm commitments.
“We will ensure that everybody gets their mileage. The clubs are happy. For the last three seasons they played without a sponsor, no prize money,” he said.
Syndicated from Jamaica Observer · originally published .
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