Grateful Browns Town pocket $1m sponsorship cheque

MCKAY Security’s presentation of a $1 million sponsorship cheque to Browns Town Football Club, winners of the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association’s Wray and Nephew Championship, took an emotional turn as president Lorraine Dobson stated the effect that winning the title has had on the eastern St Andrew community.

“Winning the Championship means a lot for Browns Town, more so going into the bigger league,” said Dobson, who is also the deputy mayor of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Council.

“I want to thank McKay Security. We really appreciate it and will try to win the playoff.

This will do much for the community, which was vulnerable and violence-prone. The competition brought the community together and this will even be better if we win the playoffs to reach Tier Two,” said Dobson, looking to the three-team showdown against winners of the St Thomas and St Catherine Major Leagues.

Winners of such regional confederation playoffs advance to the Jamaica Football Federation’s Tier Two from which the two finalists are promoted to the Premier League whose last two finishers are in turn demoted.

Browns Town won both their semi-final and final by the odd goal, beating Constant Spring and Seaview Gardens, respectively, by 1-0 margins.

“When you saw the stands at Constant Spring, you would believe everybody left Browns Town to come to the matches. This is a community that has been on lockdown for almost a year, under curfew.

“Coming out for this gives them a breather and togetherness going. Their only worry was about having transportation to take them back home,” Dobson pointed out.

Jason McKay, chief executive officer, McKay Security, whose firm also has similar $1 million sponsorship deals with the St Thomas and St Mary football associations, acknowledged the community-bonding effect of football but noted its accompanying costs.

“I am particularly pleased Browns Town were winners. That community has had its challenges with national security recently. It brings some light and community pride to the community, competing at a national level instead of parish. This is the type of thing that brings a community together and pauses the violence.

“We know what it is going to be like for any team that makes Tier Two. Transportation alone will kill you as well as bringing in new players, who you will have to pay if you intend to reach the Premier League,” McKay pointed out.

“We knew this was where the money was needed and decided to put this into the sponsorship.

We are a big football company with business house teams, as well as having teams in various clubs in different parishes.

“Every year you stay in Tier Two, you’re competing nationally with no assistance, unlike the Premier League in which you get help from the Jamaica Football Federation, so you really don’t want to stay too long in Tier Two,” he added.

“It will take much more than we spent in the Championship but this will go a long way. We will now have to go out on a limb, looking for more sponsors but this is a big start for which we are very grateful," Dobson said.