Stronger link for Digicel and SVGFF

Next year April, the final of the Digicel Caribbean Cup is expected to come off in Barbados.
Whether this country’s senior football team advances to the final is to be seen, but they will be part in the opening salvos. To this end, the local Football Federation is strengthening that relationship with Digicel, one of the region’s newest telecommunication providers.
{{more}}The thrust in this direction will be ongoing over the next months, and President of the local Football Federation St. Clair Leacock acknowledges the partnership as going beyond St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Leacock, and other members of the local Federation, received an EC$30,000 injection from Digicel last Monday. Leacock described the Digicel funds as a “timely intervention”.
Leacock sees the connection as coming from a “position of trust and flexibility”, and he hopes that the local team can match Digicel’s input “with a high standard of football”.
Thirty-four countries in the Concacaf region are expected to take part in the Digicel Cup, which is expected to see the top teams advance to the Gold Cup.
Patricia Maher, Digicel’s country manager, said that she was proud to be associated with the Football Federation. She said this was part of Digicel’s commitment to sports, not only in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but the Caribbean area and Central America altogether.
The Football Federation was represented by second vice president Ian sardine, Alana Master and Donald Thomas, while Digicel’s party included Jerry George and marketing executive Juno DeRoche.
Deroche said the input was “the start of a long-term relationship”.
Meanwhile the Vincentian football squad steps up its preparation for the 2006 World Cup qualifications with another friendly against Martinique this Sunday at the Arnos Vale Playing Field. President Leacock hopes to intensify the Digicel relationship with the national team wearing the Digicel logo in appropriate places. He also hopes to get Digicel billboards on display at the venues where Team SVG will be playing. He anticipates the approval of the National Sports Council.