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Digicel extends sponsorship of Caribbean Cup
DANIA BOGLE, Observer staff reporter
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Jamaican football legend John Barnes (left) joins president of the Caribbean Football Union Jack Warner (centre) and Digicel Group Head of Sponsorship Kieran Foley in announcing Digicel's renewed sponsorship of the Digicel Caribbean Cup in New York yesterday.
NEW YORK, USA - Digicel, the company that told the Caribbean to expect more, get more, will now be giving more. Another four years more of its sponsorship of the Digicel Caribbean Cup football tournament.
At a press conference at New York's Roosevelt Hotel yesterday, the telecommunications company with reach in over 22 Caribbean territories, announced it would be extending its title sponsorship of the Caribbean's premier football tournament from 2008-09 to the 2010-11 editions.
The monetary value of the sponsorship remained undisclosed though Digicel's Head of Sponsorship, Kieran Foley, said the company's involvement was more about helping the sport in the region grow, than about dollar figures.
"We see it as football development," Foley said.
The announcement, which was attended by CONCACAF and Caribbean Football Union president and FIFA vice-president Austin 'Jack' Warner and Jamaican-born former England International John Barnes, came just hours ahead of the kick-off of group games in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup at New York's Giants Stadium.
The Digicel Caribbean Cup is a qualifying tournament for the Gold Cup, which features last year's winners Haiti, runners-up Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and first time qualifiers Guadeloupe.
Foley said the main components of the renewed sponsorship would be advancing the progress, which had been made since the company came on board - more games, more spectators and bigger prize money.
"We want to try and ensure that we have more group stages, more teams competing," Foley said. "We intend to make this an international stage of football and not just the words," he added.
Meanwhile, Warner said it was a shame that after all these years Digicel was still the only company that had sponsored the 18-year-old tournament, which began in 1989 as the Copa Caribe.
"I'm not really satisfied, my only cry of shame is that there has been only one (sponsor)," Warner said. "Football will never succeed until efforts abound and at this point a partner like Digicel is imperative for this to go forward."
Digicel first came on as sponsors of the competition in 2004 (when Jamaica won their third title in early 2005) and increased its input last year with a prize fund of US$270,000 dollars with the winners walking away with $120,000.
French-speaking team Haiti clinched the title for the first time, defeating Trinidad and Tobago 2-1 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
Jamaica, who won the tournament prior to Digicel's involvement in 1991 and 1998, were knocked out of last year's competition after a shock loss to St Vincent and the Grenadines at the National Stadium.
DANIA BOGLE, Observer staff reporter
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Jamaican football legend John Barnes (left) joins president of the Caribbean Football Union Jack Warner (centre) and Digicel Group Head of Sponsorship Kieran Foley in announcing Digicel's renewed sponsorship of the Digicel Caribbean Cup in New York yesterday.NEW YORK, USA - Digicel, the company that told the Caribbean to expect more, get more, will now be giving more. Another four years more of its sponsorship of the Digicel Caribbean Cup football tournament.
At a press conference at New York's Roosevelt Hotel yesterday, the telecommunications company with reach in over 22 Caribbean territories, announced it would be extending its title sponsorship of the Caribbean's premier football tournament from 2008-09 to the 2010-11 editions.
The monetary value of the sponsorship remained undisclosed though Digicel's Head of Sponsorship, Kieran Foley, said the company's involvement was more about helping the sport in the region grow, than about dollar figures.
"We see it as football development," Foley said.
The announcement, which was attended by CONCACAF and Caribbean Football Union president and FIFA vice-president Austin 'Jack' Warner and Jamaican-born former England International John Barnes, came just hours ahead of the kick-off of group games in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup at New York's Giants Stadium.
The Digicel Caribbean Cup is a qualifying tournament for the Gold Cup, which features last year's winners Haiti, runners-up Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and first time qualifiers Guadeloupe.
Foley said the main components of the renewed sponsorship would be advancing the progress, which had been made since the company came on board - more games, more spectators and bigger prize money.
"We want to try and ensure that we have more group stages, more teams competing," Foley said. "We intend to make this an international stage of football and not just the words," he added.
Meanwhile, Warner said it was a shame that after all these years Digicel was still the only company that had sponsored the 18-year-old tournament, which began in 1989 as the Copa Caribe.
"I'm not really satisfied, my only cry of shame is that there has been only one (sponsor)," Warner said. "Football will never succeed until efforts abound and at this point a partner like Digicel is imperative for this to go forward."
Digicel first came on as sponsors of the competition in 2004 (when Jamaica won their third title in early 2005) and increased its input last year with a prize fund of US$270,000 dollars with the winners walking away with $120,000.
French-speaking team Haiti clinched the title for the first time, defeating Trinidad and Tobago 2-1 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
Jamaica, who won the tournament prior to Digicel's involvement in 1991 and 1998, were knocked out of last year's competition after a shock loss to St Vincent and the Grenadines at the National Stadium.