In a significant boost for youth football development, corporate Jamaica is stepping up with innovative sponsorship models that address fundamental needs of young athletes. The St Thomas Football Association has hailed Restaurants of Jamaica’s sponsorship providing Kentucky Fried Chicken meals to under-17 teams on match days as a game-changing nutritional intervention.
Lascelles Logan, president of the association, emphasized the critical importance of this sponsorship during a recent ceremony where McKay Security Limited formalized its support for both the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) and St Thomas Football Association. Logan specifically thanked security firm CEO Jason McKay for facilitating KFC’s involvement, which provides each team with buckets of chicken on competition days.
The timing coincides with community excitement surrounding KFC’s establishment as the first business in the new Morant Bay Urban Center. Logan noted the football association’s particular enthusiasm, recognizing McKay Security’s existing relationship with the fast-food chain and anticipating potential benefits from this connection.
This nutritional support comes with strategic importance for St Thomas’s football structure, where participation in the under-17 league is mandatory for fielding teams in the senior major league—a requirement now incentivized through KFC’s sponsorship program.
Logan explained the profound impact: “Providing protein to growing athletes addresses a fundamental challenge within our football community. Ensuring players are properly nourished to perform at their optimal levels represents a massive advantage for any development program aimed at elevating young talent.”
Meanwhile, McKay Security unveiled a comprehensive $4.5 million sponsorship package for both football associations, featuring $1 million awards for each parish’s major league champions. Now in its second year of supporting St Thomas, the security company has allocated $1 million specifically to the under-17 program.
McKay acknowledged KFC’s immediate willingness to partner in the initiative and expressed his vision for nationwide expansion of similar sponsorships. He articulated a broader philosophy for Jamaican football development, advocating for sustained investment in homegrown talent rather than relying on international recruitment of players transferring nationalities.
The security executive pointed to Jamaica’s 1998 World Cup qualification team—predominantly composed of locally developed players—as evidence supporting his development model, emphasizing the need for consistent under-17 progression to national under-20 and senior teams.