Co-founders of the Porus Under-15 Football League, Dave Barnett (left) and Oren Osbourne (second left), examine a $500,000 cheque handed over to them by Grace, Kennedy Remittance Ltd. through their Western Union arm in aid of the league's summer programme. Western Union's marketing manager, Jennifer Sharrier (centre), Manchester Football Association president, Dale Spencer, and Western Union marketing officer, Deveta McLaren (right), share in the moment.
-Contributed photo
Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter
GRACE KENNEDY Remittances Services Limited, through their Western Union arm, have become the latest sponsors to come to the aid of the Manchester Football Association's (MFA) drive to improve the sport within the parish.
Yesterday, at a press conference, held at the Grace Kennedy Remittances offices in New Kingston, Marketing Manager of that company, Jennifer Sharrier, announced that Western Union would be sponsoring an Under-15 summer programme in the parish to the tune of $500,000.00.
"I think that youth is the future, they're the next generation and it is important to give back to young people wherever they may be," said Sharrier.
Dubbed the Western Union Porus Under-15 Football Competition, the programme is slated to last for seven weeks and will involve training camps put on by the national staff from within the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), to help not only the players but the different youth coaches within the parish.
As part of that drive the JFF coaches will be looking for potential talent within the parish. The programme will also involve coaching in the laws of the game, which will be carried out by FIFA-sanctioned referees.
The programme will be centred around a competition featuring 12 teams, including an all female team. The sponsorship also takes care of gears for the players, the referees' administrative costs and cash incentives.
In explaining how the programme would serve to benefit Manchester's football, MFA president Dale Spencer said:
"What we have done with the Porus Under-15 League is to integrate it into the overall youth programmes that we provide in Manchester. This League is specifically a summer programme that is geared towards a select group that will go on and compete at the confederation level."
He added: "Throughout its 10-year history we've always supported it but over the last two years we have become more active in the operations of the league and in the designing of a league that represents a total youth programme during the summer months."
GRATITUDE
Spencer went on to show gratitude to the sponsors for aiding in the drive to build football within Manchester.
"Sponsorship is critical to any youth programme. You are providing for the youth in some instances transportation. These are youngsters who in many instances cannot provide for themselves. A sponsorship of a half-million dollars is probably the biggest youth sponsorship we've ever had in the parish and it will go a far way towards cementing this programme and having this programme develop from year to year where we can provide players fit for the national team," he said.
The Western Union Porus Under-15 Football League begins this Sunday at the Porus Community Centre in Porus, Manchester.
