KFC pumps millions into Reggae Girlz support
Published:Thursday | June 15, 2023 | 1:40 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
RESTAURANTS OF Jamaica’s brand manager Andrei Roper said the $7-million sponsorship Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) made to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) at the federation’s office yesterday was just an extension of the support they have given to Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw since the fast-food juggernauts signed the Manchester City striker as brand ambassador last year.
According to Roper, KFC has recognised the achievement of qualifying for back-to-back Women’s World Cups and wanted to make a meaningful contribution to their second successive appearance at the tournament.
“Last year, KFC signed a brand agreement with Khadija Shaw, one of the faces of women’s football. That was a particularly important moment for us as a brand, who for a number of years had hitched our wagon on male personalities in sports and entertainment. But we saw the impact that someone like Khadija has had for women’s football and brand Jamaica. So our partnership with the Reggae Girlz, leading up to the World Cup, is almost an extension of that first phase of our partnership with Khadija Shaw, and that is going to extend into the Women’s World Cup in the next few weeks,” said Roper.
KFC’s sponsorship includes $6 million in cash and $1 million in KFC products, and president of the JFF Michael Ricketts said the recent uptick in sponsorship for the JFF augurs well for the sport and that the organisation continues to make strides with more new sponsors coming on board.
REPAIRING THE JFF
“We are doing a really decent job of repairing the JFF, and I must say thanks to all the parties who have been part of the process of helping us to put things right. KFC has come on with a cash injection of $6 million and a million dollars worth of products, and that will go a far way in encouraging our players and to get a number of things rights. So we are very grateful, but the show goes on, and we are still trying to get other sponsors on board. We have 12 national teams to look after, so we really need sponsors to help us. It has been a challenge, but we are up to the task and on track to getting things right,” said Ricketts.
The Reggae Girlz are currently in a training camp preparing for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The tournament is slated to run from June 11-20. They will depart the island for the Netherlands in a few days, where they will continue preparations with another camp and matches.
The Jamaicans have been placed in Group F with Brazil, France, and Panama.