South Central Confederation struggle to host senior competitions

Richard Bryan, Star Writer

The failure to find favour with sponsors for its senior competitions, continues to be the main concern for the hierarchy of the South Central Confederation, the body that comprises four parishes - namely St Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester and St Elizabeth.

The junior competitions, Under-13 and 15 have secured sponsorship from Juici-Patties for the past two decades. It's the senior Confed Super League and its attendant Under-20 competition, that continues to be the major headache. The latter initially attracted sponsorship from a Locker Room/Brumalia partnership but was shelved after a year.

huge sponsorship

In wake of huge sponsorship backing recently for the individual parish associations of St Catherine (Lime) and Clarendon (Claro), the Confed has been largely snubbed by corporate entities who align their marketing efforts with sponsorship of sport.

"Our motivation is renewed but the challenges remain the same," acknowledged Confed Chairman Dale Spencer, who was returned unopposed for a third consecutive term, at the organisation's AGM last weekend. Joining Spencer as the core team were general secretary Dalton Wint and treasurer Ricardo Valentine, who both were returned unopposed. Each term lasts two years.

"The major challenge is getting commercial interest in the competition and it is not from a want of trying. This is the third year we have had to run, what is in our view, a very good competition without any title sponsors," Spencer said.

Last year, Sporting Central Academy, who won the Super League in 2008, but faced relegation from the Premier League, based their motivation of staying up on not wanting to contend with the problems at that level.

At the start of the season, two weeks ago, Rivoli, who won in 2007, and stayed in the Premier League two years before the dreaded drop, declared a similar resolve.

Incidentally, they were the last team to have got prize money arising out of the sponsorship of Super Plus. There are suggestions that the sport's parent body the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) lend a hand in securing sponsorship. However, Spencer, stopped short of saying that would be dreaming too much at this time.

sympathy

"Those discussions have come up, and will come up, and the situation remains the same," noted Spencer, who also serves as JFF first vice president.

Spencer believes his organisation has the sympathy of the clubs. He made reference to a recent meeting with the 12 competing clubs, from which it was clear that they understood the situation. Several of the parishes have come up with creative ways of assisting their clubs, like paying the referee fees and assigning match commissaries. The Confed hierarchy has also mandated all clubs to have a collection mechanism in place and a minimum entrance fee.