$40m PRICE TAG! Hefty cost for Champs 100

BY DANIA BOGLE Observer staff reporter

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

THE Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) is looking at a price tag in excess of $30 million to stage the centenary event of the Boys' & Girls' Athletic Championships from March 24-27.

"Champs right now is a very expensive proposition. We are leaning towards making it look like an international event and therefore the cost will go up," ISSA president Dr Walton Small told the Observer.

The hefty sum includes the cost of the special three-hour long opening ceremony, which will be a separate event on Tuesday, March 23, starting at 5:30 pm; security, transportation, goods and supplies, and the $5 million cost of renting the National Stadium for five days.

The Stadium now costs in excess of $1 million per day to rent, but Independence Park Limited (IPL) General Manager, Major Desmon Brown told the Observer that ISSA had got a discount because of the number of days which they were renting the facility.

ISSA also purchased new equipment, including a finish line display board, which will show the times for all runners simultaneously, as well as equipment to supply a live feed to the Stadium East.

"The production cost of Champs is really significant this year and that's just for the event itself, we are not talking about the celebration costs," organising committee chairperson Colleen Montague said.

The publishing costs of the Champs 100 commemorative book, an awards dinner, and a torch run brings the 2010 price tag closer to J$40 million, she told the Observer.

"We are trying to make sure that it's the best equipment so that we can get to lift the standard of the individual events."

Small agreed: "Yes it's going to cost us...Champs takes significant money to put on, but we think it's worth it," he said.

"We know that Champs is not an ordinary activity and therefore we can't do ordinary things and if we're not going to do ordinary things its going to cost us.

"We think that it is money well spent," Small told the Observer, adding that if ISSA can improve its standards, it would mean the association would be able to attract more sponsors.

Both principals, who are respective headmaster and headmistress of Wolmer's Boys' and Girls' Schools, also pointed out that the profits earned from the Championships are divided among the schools in ISSA and go towards their development programmes and funding the association's other programmes throughout the year.

"When people question the cost of our tickets it's largely to ensure that we do have that re-flow that goes back to the schools," Montague said.

In 2009, Small said, approximately J$11 million of profits from "Champs" was disbursed to schools and the schools would be expecting at least that much this year.

Small said he felt a lot of financial pressure knowing the significance of this year in Championships history would mean that more would have to be spent to make it extra special.

"I know we could not just go into it and do something that was mediocre. We had to balance between mediocrity and excellence and we chose excellence."

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COMMENTS (4)

sheldon mckenzie
3/17/2010

All big ups the the one and only DR.SMALL.My principal for five years at the best (ANCHOVY HIGH SCHOOL).Sir i wish you and your commete all the best in hosting this great event and hope that it will be seccessful and bring the country in one armoney like you always do at chovy.peace out!!The best there was and the best there will ever be!!

wesley Henry
3/17/2010

Why is it that people are getting in free of cost or someone who is in charge of security is letting in people? Years ago I went there & while I was in the line someone called me out & told me I could get in for a fraction of the cost and pretty quick. He escorted me to a gate where I paid about a third of the cost & was let in. There were so many people going in there I could have got in for free due to the rust but I thought it was legitimate so I turned back & paid the money. It was later I found out it was a scam but I was already in. U need to number the seats. This way it is hard for people to cheat.

Mich ael
3/16/2010

My contention is that, Champs is a school event for students. However, the price range of $1000 - $4500 for Saturday does not make it a school event. Imagine a family of four going to the stadium to pay between $4000 - $18000 to watch there son or daughter perform - This is RIDICULOUS! Note this is just for Saturday only.

william jackson
3/16/2010

$ 40 million is not a hefty price tag for a unique world class historic event such as CHAMPS 100. It appears that instead of thinking about ways of marketing and monetizing this iconic event to the diaspora and the sporting world, the CHAMPS 100 planners and Government funders are wringing their hands about a U.S. $ 500,000 budget.
I live in Canada and would like to purchase a copy of the commemorative CHAMPS 100 book, I would pay to watch a video stream or cable broadcast of the entire 4 days of the event and I am sure there are many thousands of other Jamaicans throughout out the world who would also be interested but cannot because the broadcast and book has been made available by the myopic planners.
This is an excellent opportunity to earn significant revenues and profits that could be shared with the schools. Also, sponsorship fees have been paltry notwithstanding GRACE trumpeting of their J $ 75 million sponsorship.
Jamaican people......that is only J$ 25 m per year or approximately
US $ 300,000 for title sponsorship, so CHAMPS should at least have another title sponsor (joint with Grace) in place of the ISSA acronym
which inadvertently is giving the Issa family a free publicity ride when they or their companies do not sponsor CHAMPS.
So replace ISSA with a branded sponsor as joint-title sponsor with GRACE,
(that's another J $ 25m/year income)
Promote the CHAMPS 100 book in a co-sponsorship arrangement with the Gleaner, Observer, JNBS and VMBS to the Jamaican diaspora and sell the
book through their websites to the overseas jamaican markets i.e. the diaspora. Also, seek cable providers in Canada, U.S., England to carry
CHAMPS as a pay-per-view event for a nominal Contry currency rate of
$ 4.99 in foreign currency or sell the web brodcasting rights to TVJ or a local Jamaican entity for international broadcast.
All these added-value monetizing opportunities are virtually risk fee to the CHAMPS organizing committee and Jamaican. Come on people, it's time that we get some creative thinking from all the people with Dr. title that are running things in Jamaica.

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	Yes, for both the game and advertisements
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