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International firms take notice of 'Champs'
Big sporting manufacturers fund schools with milllions
By Alicia Roache Sunday Finance reporter roachea@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Participation in the local Boys' and Girls' Championships does not come cheap, but schools are increasingly being bankrolled by a gradual influx of overseas sponsors betting on boosting brand awareness by being associated with athletes at what is widely recognised as the premier high school track and field event in the world.
The event attracts over 100 teams from high schools across the island and showcases a distinguished line of athletes — the former stomping ground of the likes of Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell and Shelly-Ann Fraser.
PUMA sponsored many schools, at last week Boys’ and Girls’ Championships
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But behind the spectacle is the cost of preparing for and entering the event, which for many schools can run into millions of dollars, of which international sponsors help foot the bill.
Kingston College (KC) coach Michael Russell team told Sunday Finance that the school spent about $1.5 million on 'Champs' this year, with a significant amount of support from major US manufacturer of sporting goods, Nike.
"We are sponsored by Nike — head to feet — so that takes out a lot of the cost. We would not be able to manage without that sponsorship from Nike," said Russell. Nike also sponsors the Holmwood and Edwin Allen teams, winners and runner up of the Girls' Championship respectively. Russell said KC has 100 students in training, but the Champs team consisted of 61students, all of which require medical care, physiotherapy and nutritional support.
Munro College receives sponsorship from German athletic goods company Puma to the tune of $2 to3 million a year, according to team manager Brando Hayden. Puma agreed to sponsor the team for three years, beginning last year, with a full set of gears. Hayden said each member of the team receives sneakers, spikes, sweat suits, vests, tights, shorts, T-shirts, caps and so on for training and the meet itself.
St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) has an arrangement with Japanese athletic goods line Mizuno to provide the team with athletic gear. STETHS principal Keith Wellington said over the past two years sponsorship from the company has totalled $5 million. He said this year the company provided 100 pairs of sneakers to the team amounting to US$15,000 ($1.29 million).
Hayden emphasised that the donations from sponsors is not mere charity. In fact, he believes that sponsors such as Puma get far more out of the event than even the schools themselves.
"They get their logo on the chest of Munro athletes at the biggest high school sporting event in the world," said Hayden.
"There is no other sporting event at this level in the Caribbean that attracts more media attention," he added.
Indeed, media from all over the world, including the US, UK and the Caribbean were present at Champs. Locally based network Sportsmax also streamed the event live on the internet for a global audience of billions of people.
"The relationship is a symbiotic thing because they get their mileage. If you look in the stands, especially on Saturday you will see the amount of mileage Nike is getting. We are satisfied with what we are getting and they are satisfied. It's working for everybody," acknowledged KC's Russell.
The coaches and managers also agree that the better a team performs at Champs, the more monetary support it attracts from sponsors.
"One of the benefits is that everyone wants to be associated with winners," said Orville Brown, coach of Jamaica College, winners of the Boys' championship last week.
He added that the outpouring of support for the winning school "makes things a little easier going into the next year" as the school tries to access more sponsorship.
"It is usually quite difficult to get anyone to undertake any kind of expense if they do not believe something positive will come of it," he said.
At the end of the day, all the athletes emerge the winners — on and off the track.
"To have our students compete at an event at this level prepares them for many things in life. Any medal you win, whether its gold, or silver or bronze, when you cross that line you know you are among the best in the world," said Hayden about the intrinsic value of Champs.
Outside of reggae music and owning a new brand of Blue Mountain Coffee, he said, "There is nothing else in the world that can give you that kind of credential".
There is also the opportunity to gain scholarships at tertiary institutions both here and abroad.
Hayden said every year after Champs at least one STETHS athlete receives a full scholarship to go to a university, while Brown said an average of three students from JC is rewarded with the sa
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/busin...#ixzz1JK6sZYRr
Big sporting manufacturers fund schools with milllions
By Alicia Roache Sunday Finance reporter roachea@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Participation in the local Boys' and Girls' Championships does not come cheap, but schools are increasingly being bankrolled by a gradual influx of overseas sponsors betting on boosting brand awareness by being associated with athletes at what is widely recognised as the premier high school track and field event in the world.
The event attracts over 100 teams from high schools across the island and showcases a distinguished line of athletes — the former stomping ground of the likes of Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell and Shelly-Ann Fraser.
PUMA sponsored many schools, at last week Boys’ and Girls’ Championships
1/2
But behind the spectacle is the cost of preparing for and entering the event, which for many schools can run into millions of dollars, of which international sponsors help foot the bill.
Kingston College (KC) coach Michael Russell team told Sunday Finance that the school spent about $1.5 million on 'Champs' this year, with a significant amount of support from major US manufacturer of sporting goods, Nike.
"We are sponsored by Nike — head to feet — so that takes out a lot of the cost. We would not be able to manage without that sponsorship from Nike," said Russell. Nike also sponsors the Holmwood and Edwin Allen teams, winners and runner up of the Girls' Championship respectively. Russell said KC has 100 students in training, but the Champs team consisted of 61students, all of which require medical care, physiotherapy and nutritional support.
Munro College receives sponsorship from German athletic goods company Puma to the tune of $2 to3 million a year, according to team manager Brando Hayden. Puma agreed to sponsor the team for three years, beginning last year, with a full set of gears. Hayden said each member of the team receives sneakers, spikes, sweat suits, vests, tights, shorts, T-shirts, caps and so on for training and the meet itself.
St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) has an arrangement with Japanese athletic goods line Mizuno to provide the team with athletic gear. STETHS principal Keith Wellington said over the past two years sponsorship from the company has totalled $5 million. He said this year the company provided 100 pairs of sneakers to the team amounting to US$15,000 ($1.29 million).
Hayden emphasised that the donations from sponsors is not mere charity. In fact, he believes that sponsors such as Puma get far more out of the event than even the schools themselves.
"They get their logo on the chest of Munro athletes at the biggest high school sporting event in the world," said Hayden.
"There is no other sporting event at this level in the Caribbean that attracts more media attention," he added.
Indeed, media from all over the world, including the US, UK and the Caribbean were present at Champs. Locally based network Sportsmax also streamed the event live on the internet for a global audience of billions of people.
"The relationship is a symbiotic thing because they get their mileage. If you look in the stands, especially on Saturday you will see the amount of mileage Nike is getting. We are satisfied with what we are getting and they are satisfied. It's working for everybody," acknowledged KC's Russell.
The coaches and managers also agree that the better a team performs at Champs, the more monetary support it attracts from sponsors.
"One of the benefits is that everyone wants to be associated with winners," said Orville Brown, coach of Jamaica College, winners of the Boys' championship last week.
He added that the outpouring of support for the winning school "makes things a little easier going into the next year" as the school tries to access more sponsorship.
"It is usually quite difficult to get anyone to undertake any kind of expense if they do not believe something positive will come of it," he said.
At the end of the day, all the athletes emerge the winners — on and off the track.
"To have our students compete at an event at this level prepares them for many things in life. Any medal you win, whether its gold, or silver or bronze, when you cross that line you know you are among the best in the world," said Hayden about the intrinsic value of Champs.
Outside of reggae music and owning a new brand of Blue Mountain Coffee, he said, "There is nothing else in the world that can give you that kind of credential".
There is also the opportunity to gain scholarships at tertiary institutions both here and abroad.
Hayden said every year after Champs at least one STETHS athlete receives a full scholarship to go to a university, while Brown said an average of three students from JC is rewarded with the sa
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/busin...#ixzz1JK6sZYRr