Orville Powell ... still seeking sponsorship. - File

WESTERN BUREAU:

THE 2008-09 St James Football Association (StJFA) domestic football season, which hit a snag three months ago when sponsorship talks between the association and telecommunication company Claro broke down, is still in limbo and facing an uncertain future.

In a release from the StJFA yesterday, signed by the association's president, Orville Powell, it stated that it is yet to secure any sponsorship which has resulted in the continuing delay to the start of the domestic season, which should have started in October.

"The St James FA wishes to inform the public that the 2008-2009 competitions have still not yet commenced as at this time, we have not yet finalised arrangements with any sponsor," the release stated. "This has caused a further delay to the start of the season."

$16-million sponsorship

Last August, Claro initiated discussion with the StJFA, offering to sponsor the parish's entire domestic season for about $16 million. After subsequent discussions, a final figure of $10 million was decided upon. However, dialogue broke down shortly after.

"We signed the contract and returned it to Claro," Powell told The Gleaner at the time. "They subsequently called us, requesting that we establish some 20 Claro stores as well as sign up 100 new clients for them per game. We told them that the request was not possible and was out of the scope of the discussions we had with them," he said.

Following the breakdown of the negotiations with Claro, the StJFA, which claimed that it had severed all ties with its previous sponsors on the advice of the telecommunication company, hinted that it would be taking legal action based on the verbal agreement it had with Claro.

"We are looking at various options including a legal one," Bruce Gaynor, the general secretary of the StJFA, told The Gleaner in the aftermath of the breakdown in talks.

"We have reported the matter to the Jamaica Football Federation and are presently awaiting their guidance," said Gaynor.

Eight competitions

The StJFA has been one of the most active associations in rural Jamaican football, staging eight competitions spanning all age groups. Last year's total sponsorship package was just more than $10 million.

Amid the gloom and doom of the StJFA, there might be a silver cloud on the horizon. According to president Powell, the association is in discussions with a potential sponsor but they are at a preliminary stage.