Lucozade Sponsors HVFC and UWI FC in 2016/17 Red Stripe Premier League

September 20, 2016 10:50 am

Harbour View and UWI football clubs will kick off their 2016/17 Red Stripe Premier League season (RSPL) with a new round of sponsorship from Lucozade Sport.

The Lucozade sponsorship is the ninth consecutive for Harbour View and the second for UWI FC, who have as many outings in the Premier League.

The sponsorship deals which were announced last Wednesday at Cari-Med Limited, the local distributors for Lucozade are each worth two million dollars. The deals will see the teams receiving a combination of cash and products to hydrate and boost the players’ performance over a one-year period.

Junior brand manager – English Caribbean for Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Jodi-Ann Wright, whose company manufactures Lucozade Sport and Lucozade Energy drinks, said the decision to sponsor the teams was an easy one after observing the way they had conducted themselves in the run up to and during the previous RSPL seasons.

“These two teams have exemplified fine qualities in the way they have conducted themselves in getting to the top, and we want to be a part of that,” she said.

A similar sentiment was echoed by Keenan Henry, Lucozade Ribena Suntory’s area marketing manager, Caribbean and Pacific Territories, who assisted in the handover of the cheques to Harbour View FC’s Clyde Juriedini and UWI FC’s Dalton Myers.

Juriedini, in a show of gratitude for the sponsorship and the longstanding relationship the companies had formed with Harbour View, presented a team jersey to the Suntory manager.

Meanwhile, Cari-Med General Manager Dennis Grant gave his commitment to the continued support of the teams’ programmes. He also called for the renewal of the national football programme and suggested that Jamaica sit out the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers and use the period to “rebuild” for Qatar 2026 in the same way he said teams like the USA had done. This, he said, would go a long way in helping Jamaica relive its 1998 World Cup glory.

Lucozade gift baskets and other prizes were won by members of the teams and their family members in attendance. The media was also recognized with Lucozade tokens for their sterling contribution to the programme over the years.

The 2016/17 season of the RSPL season kicked off earlier this month with a 1-0 win by Marverley Hughenden over defending champions Montego Bay United.