Brighter day coming for PLCA

Andre Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

The Premier League Clubs' Association (PLCA) is believed to be days away from putting pen to paper on several sponsorship deals for the Premier League competition, which is set to kick-off on August 28.

Interestingly, we could also see the return of a former sponsor, as negotiations intensify in the coming days.

After waving goodbye to former main sponsor Digicel, after the mobile company decided against renewing its contract with the association, the PLCA then failed to agree terms with a second telecommunications company, with LIME pulling out of a possible deal because of financial constraints.

Things looking brighter

However, things are looking brighter for the Edward Seaga-led PLCA, as it is understood that three offers are currently on the table for co-sponsorship of the league. The companies, believed to be the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited, Jamaica National and Supreme Ventures Limited, are each believed to have committed $10 million towards shirt sponsorship.

It is not yet clear where the respective company logos will be placed on the jerseys.

Additionally, there are whispers that Digicel may rejoin the negotiating table concerning the title sponsorship, as they had indicated an interest once the shirt sponsorship aspect was sorted out.

PLCA chairman Edward Seaga was locked in meetings yesterday and as a result could not be contacted for comment on the matter.

Seaga has, however, when asked, been rather confident that the league will start on schedule and confirmed in an earlier interview that there were a 'few' offers on the table.

"I have said it all the time that the league will start on time, we are not worried about that. We have a few companies showing interest, some new ones and we expect to have everything in place in time," Seaga said at the time.

$300 million deal

Digicel had signed a three-year deal with the Premier League in 2008 but decided not to renew their support and will instead focus their attention on the grass-roots development of the sport across the island.

The company reported that it spent over $300 million on the league over the duration of the contract, and senior sponsorship manager Shelly-Ann Curran is pleased with the development of the league over the period.

"We are very pleased with the advancement that the Premier League game has made under the management of the PLCA, and we're even more pleased with the growth and development of the players - with some of them having gone on to sign contracts with top international clubs," Curran noted. "With the wealth of football talent in Jamaica, and seeing the talent that exists at the youth level, we now want to focus on developing the game at the youth and grass-roots level."