Sandals, SDC changing lives with sponsorship of Retirement Football League
As part of its continued drive to assist local communities, Sandals properties in the Montego Bay region have partnered with the Social Development Commission (SDC) to sponsor the Retirement Community Football League.
The competition, which kicked off last weekend, will see teams vying for the Sandals Trophy and other incentives.
“We are delighted that Sandals could come on board and continue our recent partnership,” noted Alecia Spence, SDC development officer for the Retirement community.
“For the past few months we have been working with Sandals in the Montego Bay region on a number of intervention programmes in inner-city communities, and so branching out into sports seemed the logical next step.”
According to Spence, as the primary State agency responsible for community development, the SDC is committed to partnering with critical stakeholders to improve social cohesion, camaraderie and improve social recreation in communities and that philosophy aligns perfectly with that of Sandals’ outreach efforts.
Spencer said that as a response to dwindling social capital in many communities, as a result of COVID-19, crime and other factors, the SDC St James office has embarked on hosting a series of fun-filled gender inclusive activities to stimulate, organise and invigorate community spirit in the parish. The targeted objectives are to build community spirit, camaraderie, and social recreation and to increase the number of community persons involved in organised sports, among others.
Speaking on behalf of the sponsor at the launch, Sandals’ regional public relations manager for Montego Bay Ian Spencer noted that over the past several months team members from Sandals Royal Caribbean and Sandals Montego Bay have teamed up with the SDC to assist scores of students in the greater Montego Bay area in special events dubbed “Spreading the Love”. These areas include the Canterbury, Railways Lane, Barnett Lane and Norwood.
“We are delighted to be a part of the Retirement Community League as social intervention is the key to combat the problems plaguing our society,” Spencer said.
“Sports plays a tremendous role in the development of our society and we are confident that this effort will assist the youth population in channeling their energies in more constructive ways.”
Spencer hinted that his region would shortly be announcing a netball sponsorship in another local community.