Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts says his administration has been making progress in improving the financial sustainability of the sport locally after securing two new sponsors.

On Wednesday, the JFF revealed partnerships with information and communication technology company Smart Mobile Solutions (SMS) and home and industrial improvement company Awnings, Windows, Doors and Shower Enclosurers (AWDS) by Bernie Limited.

SMS has contributed $800,000 worth of laptops while AWDS has donated two tents.

Last month, JFF signed a $200-million deal with distillery giant Wray & Nephew and, in April, teamed up with marketing company 876Stream.

Ricketts says his team has been reaping the rewards of hard work.

“We’ve made a concerted effort to make the sport marketable and we’ve succeeded, to a degree, because of the work of the staff at the JFF and our marketing department. Football in Jamaica is not so much of a difficult sell. As it is now, we’re doing well. We just came out of [Copa] that was very exciting and filled with intrigue. But we just need to have a marketing arm that is willing to work and I think that has helped us,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“When I spoke to the CEO of SMS, he said that he played football so most persons who are in corporate entities have the experience of playing the sport of football, so once we get things right, once we do things on the field that makes the sport attractive, I think we will get sponsors. Our general secretary has done an excellent job, our board of directors have worked very hard and I think we still have a lot more to do and we will definitely be crafting a way forward to ensure football remains a viable sport.”

SMS Managing Director Dane Spencer is hopeful that the invest made will lead to improvements at the JFF.

“Technology, generally, is a facilitator and is really and truly supposed to make them operationally more efficient. They’re going to have different programmes for the referees, coaches, and a lot of these internal communications will flow through these devices so when we provide them, it should make them more efficient. We just hope that it’s a small contribution towards taking them one step further in terms of being administratively sound,” Spencer said.

AWDS Chief Executive Officer Mark Anthony Bernard says his company is optimistic that there will be holistic development.

“Being a Jamaican, Jamaica is about everything sports and, also, one of our aims is to be part of nation-building, so in this way, we can contribute in building the sport of football. Hopefully, it will contribute to greater things, so this is just an opportunity to be part of something that’s definitely Jamaican,” said Bernard.

“Coming from a community level, we’ve always tried to develop our community in some sense, so reaching out in this way gives us a medium to show that we’re definitely here to stay and see everything grow to what we all want it to be.”

Ricketts is also hoping that more sponsors will come on board to help grow the sport.

“One-one cocoa full basket and we’re just very appreciative of small companies coming on and making significant contributions. We got five computers and we got tents which are something we really do need and if every small company could come on and make a small contribution, then it would touch the lives of some boy or girl in some disenfranchised community,” he said.