JP St Mary’s Heritage Project plants roots in football club’s youth programmes

Jamaica Producers (JP) Tropical Foods, manufacturers and distributors of the JP St Mary’s range of products, recently handed over a sponsorship cheque, valued at over $535,000 through its JP St Mary’s Heritage Project, to Portmore United Football Club (PMUFC).

Close to 30 members of the PMUFC Grassroots Programme were on hand for the official announcement of the JP Tropical Foods partnership, held at the Joga Bonito Football Turf in Portmore, St Catherine.

“Our sponsorship programmes are built on family, education, and sports development through community outreach,” said Janene Wright, JP Tropical Foods brand and sponsorship manager.

“Through the JP St Mary’s Heritage Project, we want to ensure that these children are provided with a healthy, nutritious, green banana-based breakfast prior to their training sessions,” Wright said.

“Portmore United Football Club has one of the best junior programmes in the country, and we are delighted that we are able to provide these much-needed nutritious meals for the kids. We feel it is not only important that the kids learn discipline through the game of football, but we are committed to teaching them to eat healthy, nutritious meals on training days,” she added.

Through JP St Mary’s Heritage Project, implemented as part of the JP Group 90th anniversary celebrations, the sponsorship will provide meals to the children in the programme, as well as ripe bananas and an assortment of JP St Mary’s snacks.

Portmore United’s Grassroots Programme is part football development and part community outreach.

The Grassroots Programme is one of the gems for the PMUFC and facilitates over 200 boys and girls from ages three to 17. There are two grass-roots groups – three to 12 participate in the friendly football and elite juniors are earmarked for progress into the senior team.

“We have a positive joint venture to provide the energy, kickstart to these kids in the morning. Many of them come from areas where they have to get up very early to come to training – from Old Harbour Bay and Kingston,” said Rohn Rainford, PMUFC administrator.

“What Jamaica Producers will be doing is providing that nutritious start so that the coaches will have the players ready and energised to give their best in the training sessions,” Rainford said.

Rainford said the Grassroots Programme has already proven fruitful for the club with the emergence of 17-year-old Lamar Walker.