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Air Jamaica's support for JFF soars
published: Wednesday | September 20, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>
Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
Jamaica Football Federation president Crenston Boxhill (left foreground) and Air Jamaica's senior vice-president - sales and marketing, Paul Pennicook (right), look over the final details of their sponsorship deal worth $35 million over four years. Looking on from left are national goalkeeper Shawn Sawyers, Sandrea Falconer, Air Jamaica's director of communications, the JFF's general secretary, Burchell Gibson, William Rogers, Air Jamaica's senior vice-president - industry affairs, and Reggae Boy Demar Phillips. - Contributed
THE REGGAE Boyz's Road to South Africa 2010 World Cup campaign got a $35 million boost from Air Jamaica when the airline became the first company in the Platinum Group to renew its sponsorship of the national programme.
Air Jamaica made the announcement of the four-year deal at a press conference at the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) office in New Kingston yesterday.
Sandrea Falconer, director of communications at Air Jamaica, said this upcoming World Cup was of special significance to all Jamaicans and her company would be joining hands with the JFF again.
"Our team at Air Jamaica appreciates the efforts that Mr. (Crenston) Boxhill and his team make to ensure that Air Jamaica is always satisfied. This is the continuation of a great relationship," said Falconer.
Boxhill, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), thanked the sponsor, noting that the quality of the support he had received from the airline was nothing short of tremendous.
Said Boxhill: "The special pride and joy that is associated with travelling on the national airline does a lot to instil the kind of drive and passion that we want all our national teams to show.
"As we enter a period when more of our players will be travelling, this sort of partnership will go a far way in helping our athletes. We want our players to have a positive impression of our national symbols. We want them to respect our national treasure," added Boxhill. The Reggae Boyz, since their historic qualification to the 1998 World Cup in France, have failed in two subsequent attempts for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
Historical affection
But the 2010 World Cup slated for South Africa has taken on more than just football importance. The 'Back to Africa' campaign is more political with historical affection.
Paul Pennicook, senior vice-president of Air Jamaica, urged Boxhill to get a national coach on board who will pilot Jamaica's trip to South Africa.
"Air Jamaica, like any other corporate entity, knows the power of football in Jamaica. We ask that you move quickly in getting your permanent football coach on board so we can begin the process in bringing together the right team," said Pennicook.
He continued: "We could never have a World Cup in South Africa, a country that Jamaica is so closely linked with, and Jamaica is not there.
"The Reggae Boyz have been going through a rough passage. They aren't exactly on top of their game today, but we know that you can do it and we are committed in helping you get to the next World Cup," Pennicook said. </DIV></DIV>
Air Jamaica's support for JFF soars
published: Wednesday | September 20, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>
Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
Jamaica Football Federation president Crenston Boxhill (left foreground) and Air Jamaica's senior vice-president - sales and marketing, Paul Pennicook (right), look over the final details of their sponsorship deal worth $35 million over four years. Looking on from left are national goalkeeper Shawn Sawyers, Sandrea Falconer, Air Jamaica's director of communications, the JFF's general secretary, Burchell Gibson, William Rogers, Air Jamaica's senior vice-president - industry affairs, and Reggae Boy Demar Phillips. - Contributed
THE REGGAE Boyz's Road to South Africa 2010 World Cup campaign got a $35 million boost from Air Jamaica when the airline became the first company in the Platinum Group to renew its sponsorship of the national programme.
Air Jamaica made the announcement of the four-year deal at a press conference at the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) office in New Kingston yesterday.
Sandrea Falconer, director of communications at Air Jamaica, said this upcoming World Cup was of special significance to all Jamaicans and her company would be joining hands with the JFF again.
"Our team at Air Jamaica appreciates the efforts that Mr. (Crenston) Boxhill and his team make to ensure that Air Jamaica is always satisfied. This is the continuation of a great relationship," said Falconer.
Boxhill, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), thanked the sponsor, noting that the quality of the support he had received from the airline was nothing short of tremendous.
Said Boxhill: "The special pride and joy that is associated with travelling on the national airline does a lot to instil the kind of drive and passion that we want all our national teams to show.
"As we enter a period when more of our players will be travelling, this sort of partnership will go a far way in helping our athletes. We want our players to have a positive impression of our national symbols. We want them to respect our national treasure," added Boxhill. The Reggae Boyz, since their historic qualification to the 1998 World Cup in France, have failed in two subsequent attempts for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
Historical affection
But the 2010 World Cup slated for South Africa has taken on more than just football importance. The 'Back to Africa' campaign is more political with historical affection.
Paul Pennicook, senior vice-president of Air Jamaica, urged Boxhill to get a national coach on board who will pilot Jamaica's trip to South Africa.
"Air Jamaica, like any other corporate entity, knows the power of football in Jamaica. We ask that you move quickly in getting your permanent football coach on board so we can begin the process in bringing together the right team," said Pennicook.
He continued: "We could never have a World Cup in South Africa, a country that Jamaica is so closely linked with, and Jamaica is not there.
"The Reggae Boyz have been going through a rough passage. They aren't exactly on top of their game today, but we know that you can do it and we are committed in helping you get to the next World Cup," Pennicook said. </DIV></DIV>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Air Jamaica's senior vice-president of sales and marketing, Paul Pennicooke (seated right), signs the sponsorship deal while JFF boss Crenston Boxhill (seated left) looks on in New Kingston yesterday. Sharing in the occasion (standing, from left) are player Shawn Sawyers; Sandrea Falconer of Air Jamaica, Burchell Gibson of the JFF; William Rodgers of Air Jamaica and Jamaican players Demar Phillips and Jason Morrison.</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) actively began its campaign to win Jamaica's Reggae Boyz a place in the FIFA World Cup Finals in South Africa in 2010, after renewing a four-year contract worth J$40 million with national carrier Air Jamaica yesterday.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The deal is in the vein of a previous contract (2002-2006) between the two organisations and will see all national football teams travelling at significantly reduced rates on Air Jamaica routes as they bid to qualify for various overseas tournaments, especially the first World Cup Finals to be held on the African continent.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The deal should cover up to 75 per cent of the JFF's international travel costs.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The previous sponsorship deal was valued at $100 million. However, this renewed arrangement, set to run from September 1, 2006, through August 31, 2010, was reduced to facilitate practicality based on the JFF's usage over the life of the previous contract, plus the projected usage through this four-year period.<P class=StoryText align=justify>And in case travel costs exceed the $40-million contract, the Observer understands that Air Jamaica would still facilitate the national teams, as the company is satisfied that the last contract was "professionally" handled by the JFF.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Air Jamaica's senior vice-president of sales and marketing, Paul Pennicooke, commenting at the announcement at the JFF's St Lucia Crescent headquarters said his organisation understood that the Reggae Boyz had been through a rough patch, but knows that qualification for the World Cup Final in 2010 can be achieved and was therefore committed to helping the team get to South Africa in four years' time.<P class=StoryText align=justify>JFF's president Crenston Boxhill told the Observer that Air J's faith in the Federation was in some ways even more important than the value of their sponsorship.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"The fact that senior vice-president Paul Pennicooke could publicly say that one of the main reasons why they had no hesitation was the kind of partnership that has developed between the Federation and Air Jamaica, and the fact that we have been a professional unit and that we have honoured all our obligations and even gone overboard to make certain that Air Jamaica is pleased, that speaks much more than the symbolic signing of the contract," Boxhill said.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Meanwhile, Pennicooke urged local football bodies to unite with the common goal of getting Jamaica to the World Cup Finals.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Boxhill said with flights basically covered, it was now in the hands of the JFF to find the right competitions to give the teams exposure, starting with the National Under-17 team currently bidding to qualify for the Youth World Cup in South Korea.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"We are going to be trying to find tournaments for them, obvious
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