The island’s biggest football competition, the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) urban area Manning and rural area daCosta Cup, has a new partner on-board.

Leading Jamaican manufacturer and distributor Wisynco, through their brands Bigga, Wata, Powerade and Domino’s will sponsor this year’s schoolboy football competition that includes the Under-19, Under-16 and Under-14 competitions.

The Under-19 Manning and daCosta Cup sponsorship will be led by Bigga, with associate brands Wata and Powerade, while the Under-16 and Under-14 urban and rural competitions sponsorship will be led by Wata with associate brands Bigga, Powerade and Domino’s on board.

Wisynco and ISSA have forged a three-year relationship with a sponsorship package valued at $45 million. The sponsorship is set to benefit the over 42 senior schools that play in the Manning Cup, as well as the 83 institutions that will be vying for the rural area daCosta Cup.

Wisynco’s managing director William Mahfood re-emphasised the company’s mantra of improving the lives of the Jamaican people, as well as its commitment to the development of sports and youth in Jamaica. The Wisynco Group direct investment in football has exceeded over $35 million in the last four years, which was the largest investment that the company had undertaken for any single sport.

“We are proud to partner with ISSA for the schoolboy football championship, and congratulate the organisation for their success of almost a century, in the development and support of senior and junior schoolboy football across the island. With the sponsorship of schoolboy football we re-affirm our commitment to sports and football in particular,” Mahfood said.

This instalment of Jamaica’s Under-19 football competition, the Manning Cup, is expected to be another stellar year with the several new sponsorships as defending triple champions St George’s College will go in search of a hat-trick of titles, having won the Manning Cup in 2011 and 2012. They will be hard-pressed by many-time champions Jamaica College, who last lifted the trophy in 2010.

Also looking forward to lifting the trophy is last year’s beaten finalist Hydel, who are expected to retain the services of the much-travelled coach Geoffrey Maxwell.

DaCosta Cup champions Glenmuir will also have their work cut out as they aim for back-to-back titles under stalwart coach Patrick ‘Jackie’ Walters. They will face stern competition for the title from 2011-2012 champions Rusea’s, as well as St Elizabeth Technical.

The Wisynco Group involvement in football has borne fruit with the likes of former national player Fabian Davis rising to the fore, having endorsed the Bigga brand back in 2002. Wisynco has also been involved with the Jamaica Premier League Clubs Association.