Amidst the fanfare at Monday’s launch of the 2014 Flow Champions Cup, the telecommunications giants unveiled a cash-reward initiative aimed at encouraging teams to score plenty of goals, while also pulling communities behind their respective football teams.

Flow, providers of cable, internet and landline telephone services in Jamaica and several markets in the Caribbean, will give the top-scoring team for each round a $50,000 prize to be used for a community-based charity project.

“The team that scores most goals each round will get a reward of $50,000 for a charity of their choice,” said Donovan White, the vice-president of marketing and sales for Flow’s parent company, Columbus Communications.

“We wanted to do something different and one of the things we thought about was further integrating the competition at the community level. At the end of the day, the benefit really redounds to the community.

“That is where we believe we can truly make a difference in terms of moving the bar upwards. We can get more people to believe in the product and come to the games and to support their own teams. It’s an incentive there that binds the community,” he added.

White said steps will be taken to ensure that Flow’s ‘Goals for Charity’ initiative works according to plan.

“The $50,000 will be put in escrow and between ourselves and the [Premier League Clubs Association] we will work with that team in developing what will be the charitable organisation or entity or activity,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The Flow Champions Cup, which features the 14 parish or confederation winners and the 12 Premier League teams, is scheduled to begin on October 1. The final is slated for November 17, and the winners are set to pocket $1.5 million.

Premier League club Waterhouse FC are the title-holders.

In another breakthrough initiative, the company will broadcast games live and delayed on Flow TV [channel 100]. Viewers outside of Jamaica will also have access to these games.

“This will give players, clubs and Jamaica’s football more visibility here and in other territories in the Caribbean,” said the marketing and sales guru.

Flow will host a football clinic for players and coaches prior to the start of the knock-out competition. It will be led by former national player Altimont Butler. Another ex-Reggae Boy, goalkeeper Aaron Lawrence, will also conduct sessions at the clinic. Last year’s clinic was run by Jamaica’s World Cup 1998 veteran Robbie Earle.

White said Flow’s budget for this year’s KO tournament is over $25 million.

–Sanjay Myers