NEW Cash-rich league! 150 mil in NPL

[Sir X]

NEW Cash-rich league!
...Cash Plus Ltd pumps $150-m into newlook premiership

Friday, September 21, 2007



Cash Plus Limited, a member of the Cash Plus Group of Companies, yesterday officially announced a whopping $150-million three-year deal to become title sponsors of the nation's top club football league, now known as the Cash Plus Premier League.

Cash Plus' $50-million-a-year-plus sponsorship replaces the Wray & Nephew National Premier League, which was valued at just under $30-million per year.


Marie Matthews (right), general manager of Cash Plus Group, presents the symbolic cheque for $150 million to Edward Seaga (second left), chairman of the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) at a press conference at the Hilton Kingston Hotel yesterday. Looking on are PLCA's treasurer Chris Bicknell and minister of sports Olivia Grange. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

However, following international trends, the 12 participating clubs in this season's competition have come together to form the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA), and have initiated the process of gradually wresting control of the running of the top club league from the local governing body, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

Pending ratification at the JFF Annual Congress on November 4, the JFF will officially hand over the reigns of the premier league to the PLCA and will concentrate of the affairs of the national programme.

Some aspects of the Cash Plus sponsorship and the future of the league were announced at the Hilton Kingston Hotel yesterday, but the finer details of the total sponsorship package could not be revealed, as the PLCA is still in negotiations with other prospective sponsors.

Edward Seaga, chairman of the PLCA, said a feasibility study by the clubs revealed that $250m per year is needed to take them out of their financial woes.
"The Cash Plus sponsorship is going to mean a lot to the programme; it's not by any means the amount that we need. Football will still be in a fragile condition, but it will definitely give us a good start," Seaga pointed out.

As a result, he promised that the nation would be advised of further developments in that regard as negotiations are finalised. He also hinted that the new government would play an integral part in the way forward.

Seaga, a former prime minister, also made it clear that his organisation was not taking anything away from the JFF, but was just filling a gap that had been vacant.

Said Seaga: "Many people would think we are taking away a part of the JFF, that is not so. The JFF was involved in lot of areas in which it need not to have been involved, but because there was a vacuum, there was nobody there to fill it and we have come along now and we have said 'we will fill it for you'.

"You (JFF) can now do the things that FIFA requires you to do and do the promotional work that you need to do for the national programme. We had nothing but the best corporation from the football federation and we want to thank them publicly for the farsightedness... We therefore expect to continue this corporation with the JFF," added Seaga.

Carvel Stewart, vice-chairman of the PLCA, told the Observer that next year the premier league is going to become a separate entity.

The PLCA is owned by the existing 12 clubs in the Premier League. Each club is considered a shareholder with one vote on such issues as rule changes and contracts. The clubs elect a chairman, executive, board of directors to oversee the daily operations of the league. The JFF will not directly be involved in the day-to-day operations of the league but has veto power as a special shareholder during the election of officers.

Burchel Gibson, outgoing general secretary of the JFF, said his board of directors gave the necessary authorisation to the PLCA to act on its behalf to conclude negotiations for the sponsorship of the premier league.

"The JFF sees this new development as a positive one from many perspectives. First of all we recognised the increased sponsorship and cash injection to the clubs. In this light the federation welcomes to the football sponsorship fraternity Cash Plus as new title sponsors for the league," he stated.

Shelly-Ann Weeks, Cash Plus' marketing manager, said her company was started five years ago by Carlos Hill with a vision to build a brighter Jamaica and in that vision his civic duty led him to think of someway to bring Jamaicans together.

"Cash Plus has come on as title sponsor and we are very happy because we believe that football is not just a game that people play and enjoy, football has a deeper connection. It builds us socially and economically and we are privileged to be a catalyst in the growth of football," said Weeks.

The morning's proceeding was halted for nearly 15 minutes as the emcee Fae Ellington awaited the arrival of the new minister of sports, Olivia 'Babsy'' Grange, who apologised for her lateness as she was sorting out a misunderstanding from last week's post cabinet press briefing.

Grange said she was happy for the opportunity to address some concerns about Jamaica's football at her second official function as minister of sports.

"Today is about a new beginning, a new beginning for me as minister of sport, it is a new beginning also for the Premier League Clubs Association. Today represents the day when premier league football comes of age. I want to see a change in the direction of Jamaica's football and for us to return to the days when playing at the office was done before capacity crowd," said Grange.

The format of the NPL was also changed to mirror that of the Scottish Premier League involving 12 teams and four rounds of 38 games.

Each team will play five games more than last season with the clubs which form the top half (1st-6th) of the league immediately after the 33rd league match (third round) occupying the first six places in the league at the end of the season.

The clubs which form the bottom half (7th-12th) will be placed in another group and play among themselves and are not capable of finishing higher than seventh place. For example, in the Scottish Premier League last year, Falkirk finished seventh on 50 points, though they ended the season one point ahead of sixth-placed Hibernian on 49 points.

[Shatta]

Now is the time for us to step up and make ourselves closer to the action and indispensable. In other words "dem ago tired fi see wi face"

If we want people to listen to us then we have to put in works like Gamma so eloquently stated.

Its open to anyone who want to be onboard and like anything else it does have a time limit so when the time is up, ITS UP!

good move Cash Plus now we just have to take the jersey rights to the NPL team since they aren't reaching out and when dem come at us we just sit down and give dem what dem want but why sit and wait fi dem.

WE ago do dem like Apple do with the Iphone name
tek it and then pay them fi it when dem come fi dem share

so the thing set up

respect

[Jangle]

Can someone explain something to me? Will they be continuing with the system of promoting and relegating teams at the end of the season? If so, will the teams that are relegated, still have ownership and control of PLCA? What about the new teams that are promoted, will they have a say in the control?

"The PLCA is owned by the existing 12 clubs in the Premier League. Each club is considered a shareholder with one vote on such issues as rule changes and contracts. The clubs elect a chairman, executive, board of directors to oversee the daily operations of the league. The JFF will not directly be involved in the day-to-day operations of the league but has veto power as a special shareholder during the election of officers."

[Chubble]

Cash Plus is new premier sponsor
published: Friday | September 21, 2007

Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

IN ADDITION to a whopping three-year $150 million boost from new sponsors Cash Plus, the nation's Premier League will undergo another major change when the new season kicks off on September 30, as an additional round will be added to the competition.

In the recent past, the nation's top flight consisted of three rounds but a fourth has been added and will see the teams that finish 1-6 by the end of the third round and sides finishing 7-12 compete exclusively against each other in a final round.

The new structure is modelled on the Scottish Premier League format. In that competition, which was restructured in 1998, the league is split in half after 33 games once every club has played the others three times, whether twice away and once at home or vice-versa.

"There will be various pros and cons to it but we believe the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages. It should add some excitement to the league," said general secretary of the newly formed Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA), Howard McIntosh. "We believe that it can work. The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) put forward the format change and we accepted it and now we will have to try our best and make it work."

Independently run

In addition to the format change, the new league will pattern others around the world like the Scottish and English Premier Leagues in another important aspect as, in a sense, it should be independently run by PLCA by the start of next season.

While the JFF will have a seat on the board of the PLCA and will see to the running and operation of the Cash Plus Premier League (CPPL), it will no longer negotiate contracts on behalf of the PLCA or its member teams at that projected date.

This will speak to matters of sponsorship, media rights or any other revenue considerations.

"This is the type of system used in several other countries where those leagues are very successful." McIntosh said. "The ultimate objective is true professional football in Jamaica and I think right now that is where we are headed. With a new type of format and new title sponsors, I think it is an exciting time for local football."

The JFF-recognised PLCA consists of members from each of the 12 Premier League clubs and is expected to issue equal amounts of shares to each club in the league.

There will be regularly structured shareholder meetings where each member will have equal voting rights. At the end of the season, relegated clubs will transfer their shares to the newly promoted ones.

[Shatta]

That is the problem when you try to do things by yourself.

Mr Seaga moved too early on the Cash Plus deal and as such he had no leverage to get the billion dollar deal I was hoping he would have held out for.

The fact of the matter is that Cash Plus is trying to get noticed and they are trying to get into the EXTREMLY lucrative remittance market and nothing does it better than having entertainers and artists wear the NPL jerseys in their videos and on concert appearances.

He sent on the reggaeboyz supporters club benefit concert proposal to Babys Grange from 19 o long so lets see what she does with it now as she was busy with the election so now we can get back to focusing on this.

Mr seaga as a former promoter I know the teams were pressuring him and those teams were strapped for cash, I know that. However had he used the music as a vehicle before going to cash plus he would have had more leverage.

Since I sell Dancehall DVD's and CD's and you guys dont let me hip the man dem to the "formula"
For those who don't know a Jamaica brand and validate anything so what we were going to do is use the same Passa Passa type street dance but call it a "jersey affair" with all the artists and dancers dem inna the NPL jersey's or you can't come in.

Next it would be videotaped by Scrappy at dancehall reggae.com and 2gran reggae would do the audio. Now the CD-Freak would then do the post production at technicolor in hollywood and make the dvd presentable to cross over(of course it would be professionally shot)

Now you talking bout not only the US market but the European, African and Japanese market! Now think for a second how many companies in JA or overseas would love to have a GLOBAL brand.

Better yet I told Mr Seaga that Brand Jamaica could then be premiered so now the world would see that Brand Rasta is worth more than Brand Beckham(go anywhere and ask bout Bob Marley)

BTW did I mention Champions in Action stage show on a global tour?

don't believe it then go pon myspace and check the myspace.com/cdfreakmusic page and see the promoters dem from over the world mi have in the comments box.

It was right there and all they had to do was be patient but no through dem a think bout cutting out the Ras(like my future wasn't already written and dem caan stop prophecy) dem move hasty

We could have tun over the world but alas If you want something done you have to go do it your damn self.

Well Cash plus all the free advice done! Now its time to break bread with the youths and don't worry by the time I am done all of unnu will come bearing tributes as the prophets dem done tell unnu in Isiaih and Ezekiel.

How dem fi stop something that is already written?

Shatta Cleve aka the Chief Servant to the streets

[Bruce]

Share ALL Sponsorhsip Money

I would propose that ALL sponsorship money that previously would have gone to one team be divided among all teams.

If a business wants to identify its brand with a specific team, fine. The money gets divided equally.

The U.S. National Football League (NFL) divides all merchandise sales, local TV / radio broadcast rights, and and advertising equally among the members.

The Green Bay Packers are the smallest TV/radio market in the NFL, but are in the top five in merchandise sales.