The Jamaica Rugby Football Union (JRFU) on Monday announced the signing of a two-year technical sponsorship agreement with global sporting apparel manufacturer BLK Sport at the office of the Sports Development Foundation, in Kingston.

This milestone for the JRFU signifies the evolution of Jamaican rugby and the realisation of the nation’s growing ambition for rugby.

BLK is the current technical partner of Cricket West Indies, and this partnership is a part of their efforts to solidify their presence in the region.

The partnership will see BLK become the official technical kit sponsor of Jamaican rugby and they will provide an extensive and dynamic range of Jamaica themed technical products to be worn by Jamaica’s players at all domestic and international tournaments.

Supporters merchandise capturing the spirit of Jamaican rugby will also be available.

“BLK are really excited to partner with one of the most iconic sporting countries with global appeal. We look forward to supporting the national teams and helping to grow local rugby in Jamaica” said Jason Lax, managing director of BLK UK.

Jamaica Rugby board member Walter-J Davis, said: “The players and staff at Jamaica Rugby look forward to this partnership with BLK. The high product specification and great design capability that BLK offer were qualities that inspired us.”

President of the Jamaica Olympic Association Christopher Samuda was encouraged by the development.

“This has always been the position of the Jamaica Olympic Association, self-sufficiency. We have repeatedly told our associations that there must come a day when what we fund in respect of their budget, must be less than 50 per cent. This is the business of sport in action,” he said.

He extended congratulations to the organisation and expects them to benefit financially from the deal as well.

“We salute them. We congratulate them in that endeavour and we are looking for far more efforts to ensure that at the end of the day they will become self-sufficient and economically viable,” Samuda said.

Denzil Wilks, the general manager for the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) is hoping that other sporting bodies in the country will follow the trend set by the JRFU.

“It is a wonderful development. We at the SDF need more of that happening and we hope that this example from rugby is followed by a number of other associations.

“It is known that we are limited in terms of what we are able to do. In addition to that, the more that the various sporting associations are able to bring corporate into the mix, the better it will be for Jamaica sports,” he noted.

Jerry Benzwick, who is the chairman of the JRFU, underscored the importance of the deal to the overall development of the sport in Jamaica.

“It’s important to have kit sponsorship because we are pushing the brand of rugby and being aligned with a global kit manufacturer gives us an international presence and more appeal,” he said.

“People like wearing brands, especially if it’s a sports brand, and BLK is a good sports brand. They make quality gears and people buy quality, so we will be able to sell gear, which is the idea,” Benzwick added.

The JRFU head expects the deal to be a win, win for both parties going forward.

“It is a nice fifty-fifty thing where we want to look sharp, we want to earn revenue, they want to spread their brand and make some money, so it gives us a global presence. They will sell the merchandise online all over the world, and we will push it as much as possible here and we benefit from whatever sales are made, so it’s an important move for us to get kit sponsorship.”

He also believes that the players will be motivated by the latest happenings in rugby.

“For the players it is encouraging. At least it shows that we are moving forward and we are trying to do the best for them so they can have what is necessary for them to produce the results,” noted Benzwick.

The official kit launch is set to take place in Kingston, Jamaica, later on this year.