Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor

Paul Lalor (second right), president of the Insurance Company of the West Indies, donates a cheque valued at $1 million to Waterhouse Football Club and shakes the hand of goalkeeper Maurice Evans at the club grounds on Tuesday. Looking on are Bruce Bicknell (left), the club's vice-chairman, and (from right) Peter Hibbert, club president, Ryan Peralto Jr., club chairman, and midfield player Weston Forrest. - contributed

PREMIER LEAGUE titleholders Waterhouse are championing the cause of utilising sport to stamp out violence, especially in poor inner-city communities where the incidence of crime is much higher.

Their latest call has come from Bruce Bicknell, the club's vice-chairman, hot on the heels of a million-dollar sponsorship from the Insurance Company of the West Indies (ICWI) on Tuesday.

Paul Lalor, president of the insurance giants, made the cheque presentation to players and management staff at the club's recently-constructed Waterhouse Mini Stadium, which he credits in part for inspiring ICWI's continued assistance.

The greater part, he stated, was the important role played by the stadium and the Waterhouse teams that used it to build the community by stabilising it through peace.

"This is a project that Tank-Weld and Bruce Bicknell have been doing for the past three years. We have been involved and every year we try to donate a little bit more," said Lalor.

"The reason that we participate is, as is clearly evidenced by the turnout and excitement in the Waterhouse community, the drop in the violence that followed the creation of this football facility and the pride with which the community supports not only the team, but the work that all of them have done in its creation.

"Obviously, as anybody who goes to the facility will witness, with the creation of the new basketball court, that this facility is continuing to improve and continuing to offer the use of Waterhouse sports as an alternative to gangs and violence," he said.

Earlier this year the club set up a state-of-the-art basketball court on the stadium complex, to facilitate another aspect of the development of the community which has seen reduced levels of violence with the advancement of sporting projects and teams.

This factor has also proven to be true in other communities that are prone to violence and Bicknell, managing director of Tank-Weld Metals - which is also involved in the club and community's development in a big way, is challenging other corporate entities to get involved in the game of sponsorship.

"What I like about bringing Paul on board is we need people who are young and energetic. Let's help when you're young and energetic and do that in a big way," Bicknell said. "Come now, Jamaica needs them now, not only to help with a lot of money but show your face ... by attending the games and meeting the people.

Desperate times

"Jamaica is in desperate times, we can rescue Jamaica. With extra policing and more intense social intervention by corporate Jamaica and political will from the Government, Jamaica can be rescued."

Continuing, the Waterhouse club executive noted: "We need to spend big money and a lot of time in the initiatives. We need to go to them (communities) and they need to receive us with open arms.

"Waterhouse is a prime example where it shows that because you're poor you don't have to be violent. Once the dignity is restored, we can all live peacefully and happily together," said Bicknell.

"In return, the community needs to show appreciation and receive us with trusting arms and be grateful because sponsors can spend their money elsewhere. It's a two-way street."