Parish FAs await Captain’s sponsorship
FOR MORE than a decade, The Captain’s Bakery has been the main sponsor for most of the island’s top parish football competitions. In fact, eight of the 14 parish top divisional leagues, at some time or another, were financed by the bakery.
However, the passing of the bakery’s founder Captain Horace Burrell, who was also president of the Jamaica Football Federation, earlier this year, plunged those funding soures into uncertainty and respective parish associations are hoping to get some word on the future of the sponsorship very soon.
Dalton Wint, Manchester Football Association president, said that the associations received a letter of commitment after Burrell’s death, stating that they would continue for this year, but would look at reducing it next term.
“There is great uncertainty as it relates to moving forward. Prior to captain’s death, most of us received a letter stating what they have committed to for this year, and then next year it would have been reduced, in my case from $500,000 to $200,000.
“So I have been trying to meet with the financial controller (Wayne Soltau) but have been unable to do so. Hopefully I can go into the office and see if this (commitment) is real thing or just something on paper,” he stated.
Wint last spoke to Soltau in early August, and his position was that he would discuss it with the new chief executive officer (CEO), Dr Tiphani Burrell-Piggott (Horace Burrell’s daughter), to see exactly where they are.
“It affected us tremendously because we are looking for a title sponsor for the Major League,” Wint exclaimed. “We are disappointed, but they have been with us 13 years and with change of personnel, you have change of policies and focus; and I guess that’s the case. We are trying to engage some other stakeholder. We had Magnum, so we are hoping they continue. By next week, I should know where they are, but we are in limbo at this time,” he said.
LARGEST SPONSORSHIP IN THE WEST
The Captain’s Bakery had the largest number of sponsorships in the west. Westmoreland FA President Everton Tomlinson said that he was hopeful that the relationship will continue and hopes to get some answers by tomorrow. “We await the company’s response,” he said. “I hope to hear something between now and Tuesday. We have the commitment and we have not been informed of any changes. So I am not certain,” he said.
“Let me call Monday (today). Mr Soltau should be in a position to tell us the situation. I communicated with him last week and he was going to have a meeting with the new CEO, but I don’t know the decision they arrived at as yet,” he said.
However, he noted that they have started making preparation for the worst-case scenario. “If the company cannot afford it, we will have to chart new waters. It would be a blow to football, but if a new person takes over and they can’t continue, we have to move on. We appreciate what has been done and we wish the company all the best,” he said.