IN a bid to cement itself as the leading mobile company in Jamaica, telecoms giant Claro has expressed a serious willingness to finance the INSPORTS All-Island Community Football Championship, organised by the state-run Institute of Sports (INSPORTS).

The sudden development forced organisers to make a last-minute decision and announce the postponing of the press launch less than 24 hours before its scheduled start on Friday.

“Telecommunications giant Claro has indicated a keen interest to come on board as title sponsor of the INSPORTS All-Island Community Football Championship, which was set to be launched on October 29 at Terra Nova Hotel.

“The decision was made to facilitate Claro, who are enthusiastic about reaching the thousands of unattached youth across the country during the six-month period that the event will run for,” stated a media release from the Institute of Sports issued during prime time last Thursday night.

Borne out of a necessity to connect with young males who are not registered to any structured football club or programme, the state took the decision to establish the community-based competition which saw approximately 395 teams, or 10,075 players, participate in its inaugural season which started in October last year and ended in April this year.

A top cash prize of half-a-million dollars goes to the winner.

The entire island was galvanised by the event, which attracted an estimated following of over 50,000 spectators and is already regarded as the largest football competition, in terms of the number of participants, in the English-speaking competition.

And with Claro “desirous to inject no less than $10 million” into this year’s second season, a significant swell in support and media coverage is expected.

“The INSPORTS management believed with Claro coming on board it was in the best interest for all associated with the event, its planning and execution, to create additional time for the main sponsors to get themselves organized and ready for what is anticipated to be a stellar opening,” a part of the release read.

November 20 is the new proposed date for the event to be launched.

Since their entrance into the Jamaican mobile sector, Claro have been targeting football as one of its main marketing tools.

They are currently title sponsors of all major football competitions run by the Kingston and St Andrew, and St James football associations with its arch rival Digicel having exclusive rights to the national premier league.

Another telecoms giant LIME, recently announced a $15 million three-year deal with the St Catherine FA covering all of the latter’s major football competitions.