Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) on Thursday night unveiled the new Umbro kit that the Reggae Boyz will brandish at home in their Nations League match against the Cayman Islands on Sunday. The kit was shown at a press briefing, with a promise to maximise on merchandising this time around.

JFF boss Michael Ricketts told the Jamaica Observer that the last US$4.8m (approx J$670 million) deal with Dubai-based Romai Sportswear was a disaster, and that he is confident this US$4m (approximately J$500m) four-year Umbro contract will be better.

“A number of things went awry with our previous contract. The then marketing person at the JFF did a number of things wrong and it caused a breakdown in the relationship with Romai and the JFF,” Ricketts explained.

“So part of the contractual arrangement was not met because the strained relationship had developed,” he added.

“I am absolutely sure that there won’t be a repetition of any such thing with this new marketing person and new marketing department. We are just hopeful that the contractual arrangement with Umbro will bear fruit and will have positive implications from what we have agreed with from Umbro,” Ricketts told the Observer.

“We never got money from Romai because the deal fell through. Broken promises and the person in charge of marketing never did a number of things that he was supposed to have done and it caused a rift between Romai and the JFF,” he reiterated.

He continued: “We want to engage the Diaspora, Western Sports do have the franchise to market our local products so we are delightful and hopeful that everything will go well and this deal will not end up being in a strained kind of relationship for both parties.”

Umbro regional marketing manager Josue Reyes of Panama was on hand during the unveiling and said it was a real honour for Umbro to sign with brand Jamaica.

“For Umbro, it is a real honour to wear one of the most important teams in Concacaf and without a doubt, the most important in the Caribbean,” said Reyes, to a round of applause.

“For us, Jamaica is a bet in which we will undoubtedly be satisfied. Its history, its culture, its people, its music, its football. In short, everything that surrounds Jamaica seems great and this is the main reason we have named this campaign ‘We are the one’.

“We hope this is the jersey that brings back the glory to Jamaica. See the colour of the Reggae Boyz in style at the World Cup in Qatar 2022,” he added.

The new home jersey is in Jamaica’s traditional vibrant gold colour, with a striking black, green and gold taping design on the sleeves inspired by the Umbro double diamond logo and the country’s iconic flag. On the body of the shirt there is a subtle embossed graphic inspired by palm trees. Black shorts with the colourful taping trim and gold socks complete the home look.

The away shirt has an eye-catching design inspired in equal parts by current trends for strong graphics and the vibrant culture of Jamaica.

A black jersey with green collar and sleeve trims features a vivid, colourful graphic on the main body.

The ‘Reggae Boyz’ moniker features on the back of the neck in gold, while a tonal black version of the home kit’s taping design runs down the sleeves of the shirt and also features on the accompanying gold shorts. Black socks complete the away strip which was to be worn for the first time in last evening’s training match against Ecuador. Both home and away kits are crafted from lightweight performance materials designed for movement and breathability.