Wisynco through its WATA brand has been sponsoring football at various levels including schoolboy football for several years now, and specifically the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) daCosta Cup this year.

According to Tiffany Simmonds, Wisynco’s marketing co-ordinator, the company’s commitment to sports in Jamaica and WATA’s involvement in the schoolboy football competitions fits perfectly with its mission to improve the lives of the Jamaican people.

She also said, “It’s good for WATA to own the daCosta Cup, interact with the rural persons, interact with the schoolboys from across those parishes and let them know that they are loved and that the brand is here for them no matter what.”

In terms of the feedback from the schools, she said: “The coaches will have the schools call us to say we love the programme, can you start selling WATA in our schools? They also enquire about how do I get to be part of the Wisynco family, so we do get the feedback and its appreciated.”

The company’s sponsorship extends from the governing body ISSA to the school teams.

According to Keith Wellington, president of ISSA, “We are very grateful for the support that we have gotten from WATA. I think that it is important that players keep rehydrated, not just on match day but right throughout the competition. The support that we have gotten from them has ensured that we have been able to insist that players are properly hydrated throughout the game.”

Coach of Clarendon College, the daCosta Cup winner Lennie Hyde, was very appreciative of WATA’s support of schoolboy football. He said “WATA is great, nothing better than this. It is a given that we have to have water in our system — playing or not playing — so it’s very important for the players also, to keep them hydrated and refreshed, and the only thing that can do that is water.”

WATA’s aim is to inspire, engage and energise both local and diaspora communities to encourage a spirit of camaraderie, good sportsmanship and general love for the game.

The WATA team travelled across the country from parish to parish, to matches at all stages of the competition to support the teams and share their products with the teams and their supporters.

The value of Wisynco’s commitment over the years total more than $35 million.

WATA also sponsored the Champions Cup and the Ben Francis Cup as well as the Manning Cup.

The Wisynco brands that continue to sponsor schoolboy football are WATA, Pringles, Freshhh and PowerAde.