| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Karl |
Posted - Aug 27 2002 : 07:39:11 AM
Mac
Lucrative purse increase
Tue Aug 27 05:25:06 2002
130.91.16.87
Taken from www.jamaicaobserver.com
Lucrative purse increase
Sponsorship package for 2002/03 season worth record $17M
IAN BURNETT, Observer staff reporter
Tuesday, August 27, 2002
FOOTBALL TALK: Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president, Captain Horace Burrell (second left) leads a discussion that includes (from left) Carl Stephenson, chief marketing officer at Wray & Nephew; Patrick Roberts, manager of the defending champions, Arnett Gardens and Marcia Forbes, general manager, Television Jamaica at yesterday's press conference at the Hilton Hotel. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
THE champions of the 2002/2003 Wray & Nephew Premier League football competition could waltz away with as much as $2.26m out of a total sponsorship package of $17m, figures announced yesterday revealed.
While the top side could smile all the way to the bank with this unprecedented amount, the team finishing at the bottom is guaranteed a minimum $570,000 for the season.
Each team is guaranteed $570,000 from the Jamaica Football Federation in association with the sponsors, Wray & Nephew through their brand product, White Overproof Rum. For logo incentives, the teams will receive $220,000; for travelling expenses -- $150,000, and there is a $200,000 grant which comes directly from broadcast rights of $5m from the rights holders, the RJR Communications Group.
ALL SET: Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) boss, Captain Horace Burrell (right) presents Wendell Downswell, technical director of the Reno FC with 40 balls, a Jamaican flag and CDs with the FIFA and Jamaican anthems at a press conference to launch the 2002/2003 Wray & Nephew Premier League press conference yesterday. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
Details of the inaugural Wray & Nephew Premier League football season, which kicks off with six games on Sunday September 8, were announced at a press conference held at the Hilton Hotel yesterday.
Purse money for the winning team has jumped 100 per cent this season, to a whopping $1,000,000, with second through seventh places earning $600,000; $400,000; $300,000; $170,000; $125,000 and $100,000, respectively.
Additionally, the team amassing the most points through the first three rounds will win $500,000 and the Wray & Nephew League Trophy. Other sectional cash awards are as follows: Fair Play award (team) -- $50,000; Best Defensive team -- $70,000; Top goalscoring team -- $70,000; Most Valuable Player -- $50,000; Coach of the Year -- $50,000; Coach of the winning team -- $20,000; Top goalscorer -- $25,000; Top goalkeeper -- $20,000 and Top junior player -- $20,000.
At the end of yesterday's function, representatives of each team were presented with 40 balls, a Jamaican flag as well as CDs comprising the national and FIFA anthems.
Wray & Nephew's chief marketing officer, Carl Stephenson, whose brainchild it was to have the Liverpool legends parade their skills with the Jamaican legends on Sunday, promised more initiatives for the future, and reiterated his company's commitment to the development of football in Jamaica.
"Football is the most popular sport within Jamaica and it continues to surge in popularity. We acknowledge the power of football to unite and bond us together...," he declared.
The 12 teams participating in this season's competition (with their home ground bracketed) are: Defending champions Arnett Gardens FC (Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex); Bull Bay FC (Harbour View Stadium); Constant Spring FC (Constant Spring Field); Harbour View FC (Harbour View Stadium); Hazard United FC (Ferdie Neita Park); Reno FC (Frome Sports Club); Rivoli United FC (Prison Oval); Seba United FC (Jarrett Park); Tivoli Gardens FC (Railway Oval); Village United FC (Elleston Wakeland Sports Complex); Wadadah FC (Jarrett Park) and Waterhouse FC (Emmett Park).
The format of the competition will be similar to last year's with the teams engaging each other once in the first round, followed by an end-of-round final between the top two clubs on points. The return games will be played in round two, followed by another end-of-round final between the top two clubs on points.
For the third round, teams will be split in two zones, depending on their points standings after the second round. Group A will consist of the teams finishing first, fourth, sixth, seventh, ninth and 12th, while Group B will consist second, third, fifth, eighth, 10th and 11th.
At the end of this round, the team amassing the most points will be declared the Wray & Nephew League champions.
Thereafter the top four teams will enter a home-and-away semis, followed by the winners playing a similar home-and-away final, the winner of which will be the 2002/03 Wray & Nephew National Premier League champions.
On the opening day Arnett Gardens invite new comers Rivoli to Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex; Waterhouse entertain Wadadah at Emmett Park; Bull Bay play away to last season's beaten finalist, Hazard at Ferdie Neita Park; Constant Spring visit Railway Oval to face Tivoli Gardens; Reno travel to Elleston Wakeland to meet Village United and Seba hosts Harbour View at Jarrett Park.
All games in September start at 3:30 pm, following the Under-21 curtain raisers. From October, games will commence at 12:30 and 3:00 pm, respectively.
The RJR Communications Group has earned the rights from the JFF to broadcast the games live on radio and television.
Marcia Forbes, general manager of TVJ, who spoke on behalf of the Group, expressed her delight "in being an integral part of the upcoming season of the Wray & Nephew Premier League football".
She said: "In recognition of the important role of sports in shaping us as a people, in helping to bestow discipline and hard work, some years ago, moreso especially over the last year and a half, the RJR Group decided to support local sports as one of our top priorities.
"It was a tough decision to make, it was a decision that had to be very clearly thought out and planned because historically, while sport is very well loved and very well watched and listened to by Jamaicans, unfortunately the local television stations hardly ever have been able to make a profit on sporting events. This, to a large extent is as a result of the very high rights fees that we have been asked to pay... After much thought and deliberation, we at RJR Communications Group selected a number of sports to which specific attention and support would be given. The Premier League football is one such... It is an important event for us and we intend to give it our full support and commitment.
It was reported that the RJR group paid a sum of $5m for the rights, $2.4m of which goes directly to the teams participating in the competition with the remainder going towards other JFF administrative and operational costs.
The Group did not disclose how often live broadcasts (through Radio 2 FM and TVJ) would be aired.
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| 1 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Karl |
Posted - Aug 27 2002 : 07:47:00 AM
....and, words of gloom?!
Mac
Stadium closure hurting football
Tue Aug 27 05:45:38 2002
130.91.16.87
Taken from www.go-jamaica.com (Gleaner)
Stadium closure hurting football
UNAVAILABILITY OF the National Stadium field and inadequate funds continue to hinder the Jamaica Football Federation's (JFF) efforts to maximise home advantage in a series of friendly internationals and age group World Cup qualifiers planned for this year.
As a result, the national Under-17s have given up home advantage for their World Cup qualifying tie against St. Kitts, playing both games in the eastern Caribbean between September 20-22. In addition, the JFF also had to pass up an offer to host the Caribbean Zone Under-20 World Cup qualifiers, which start tomorrow in the Cayman Islands.
Although the National Stadium successfully hosted the World Junior Championships of Athletics recently, the facility remains closed to football for the rest of the year, the Institute of Sports said, because the field has to be re-laid.
"We declined because of the lack of a facility," Burrell said Sunday, hours before the senior team departed for England where they will play India in two friendlies set for this Sunday and next Tuesday.
The Reggae Boyz, Burrell said, will play Guatemala October 30 in Guatemala City and discussions are underway for an October 16 match against Japan. Negotiations are also taking place with Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, World Cup shockers Senegal and others.
"The Federation tried its best not to withdraw the young footballers and will do everything possible to ensure they participate," Burrell said of the Under-20s, adding that the senior women footballers, set to bow into Gold Cup action late October, will face fellow qualifiers Trinidad and Tobago in away friendlies on October 9 and 11.
Attempting to emulate its historic feat of qualifying for the 1998 World Cup on the back of countless friendly internationals and an unbeaten four-year streak at home, the JFF has a number of friendlies lined-up.
"It is our intention to play at least one friendly per month and where possible two," Burrell said. "We've also returned to the practice of keeping a local-based team in constant training.
"This is extremely necessary because FIFA has recently stated overseas-based players attached to clubs will only be released on specific dates," he pointed out. "It's not as easy as before to get players released for national teams except when there's a World Cup qualifier."
The JFF's financial woes, which caused quite a stir recently when the football body suddenly sent home national teams in training, remains as is even though government had intervened, promising funds from a newly-formed lottery-funded body to salvage a fallout from the Sports Development Foundation.
"Unfortunately, we've not yet received the restoration of the subvention promised by government," Burrel said. "The Federation awaits the Prime Minister. He has promised to deal with the situation and I am confident he will deliver."
- Ainsley Walters
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