Million-dollar Treasure helps boost JPL newcomers’ chances

NEWCOMERS TREASURE Beach Football Club not only won their first points of the 2023 Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League on Sunday, but were also the beneficiaries of a much-needed monetary boost from Scotiabank.

Coming on the heels of their 1-0 win over Lime Hall Academy, another of the promoted teams this season, Scotiabank joined a growing list of corporate sponsors, who were on hand at the St Elizabeth Technical High School sports complex, to watch Treasure Beach end a 42-year drought in top-flight football for the parish of St Elizabeth.

During the presentation, Jason Henzell, chairman of Treasure Beach, said the team was pleased with the addition of Scotiabank.

“We are pleased about this partnership. We are working with an annual budget of $30million, so we welcome this partnership. Our major expenses are salaries, transportation, nutrition and medical expenses. This will definitely aid us in meeting our expenses. We are hoping that Scotia will use this opportunity to invite their vast client base not only from St Elizabeth, but also from Manchester and Westmoreland to get behind Treasure Beach Football Club as fans and Scotiabank clients,” Henzell told The Gleaner.

According to Henzell, the team is in high spirits with corporate Jamaica investing in them and also because of their first home win in front of their fans.

Asked why Scotiabank chose the Treasure Beach Football Club to sponsor, Henzell outlined that his holistic approach to them gained traction.

“I presented the fact that we are the only team in the JPL competition that falls under the umbrella of a non-profit organisation and I think that meant a lot to them. In my private entrepreneurial capacity, Jakes has been a client of Scotia ever since we started 30 years ago. Over the years, we have gotten various awards for our corporate social responsibility. Approximately five years ago when they celebrated 100 years of being in the Black River branch, they gave us funding to build a multipurpose court at the Treasure Beach Sports Park,” Henzell explained.

While promoted teams tend to struggle in the JPL, Henzell believes his team are up to immense challenge of staying in the league.

“I know it is not a given and I don’t want to sound overconfident but we have to be sober, level headed, and plan for our matches on its own merit. A 55-inch TV was purchased as one of the management structures that would allow the team to be successful. With this, the team will be able to watch games a week in advance on their opponents, so they can be prepared. As the chairman, I would be responsible for fundraising and marketing. We have an administrative committee, accounting, and technical director who deals with coaching, etcetera,” said Henzell, who gives his team a 90 per cent chance of staying up.

Henzell is depending on the entire squad to push forward and play a part in the success to come.

“We are coming with a different approach to lift the spirits of the entire team. It is very important for us. At the match, cheerleaders from STETHS were on the field and that played a part in lifting the spirits. Most teams in the JPL wouldn’t have cheerleaders. In Jamaica we know how to mix sports with entertainment very well and that level of entertainment, the music and cheers will be at all of our 13 home matches,” Henzell confidently said.

The major sponsors include Auto Smart, Jack Sprat, Fraser Fontaine & Kong Limited Insurance Brokers, Caribbean Producers Jamaica (CPJ), S&G Road Surfacing Materials Limited, Dunrich, and Scotiabank.