Brian Pengelley General Manager of Jameco Equipment, a subsidiary of the Stewarts’s Automotive Group on Wednesday implored fellow corporate entities to throw their support behind the Jamaica Football Federation’s football progammes citing that national teams bring exposure from which the country benefits.

He was speaking at the JFF Headquarters where new and returning sponsors were announced as well as the revealing of the association’s new website.

Adidas, Courts Jamaica, Irie FM, First Choice Pharmacy, Wisynco, GraceKennedy Ltd, Sports Development Foundation, First Choice Pharmacy and Stewart’s Automotive were introduced as new or returning sponsors along with the Bob Marley Foundation, the Jamaica Pegasus and Holiday Inn.

“What’s missing is the full participation of Corporate Jamaica. This journey we are on with the JFF is a critical one for the overall growth of our country,” Pengelley said, speaking on behalf of the sponsors’ representatives in attendance.

“We talk about businesses coming back, business is strong, tourism is strong. I am not seeing where people appreciate what value the advertising, promotion and the teams being abroad is bringing to Jamaica.

“People that sell in Jamaica, companies that sell their manufactured goods should be on board because when people come here they are buying our products and that benefits everyone.

“My appeal to Corporate Jamaica is recognize that the publicity that our teams are generating around the world is bringing people to Jamaica. They put Jamaica on the map every time they do something.”

Meantime, JFF President Michael Ricketts said it took a lot of hard work to get sponsors back board to support several campaigns that the national teams are involved in. The Reggae Boyz are about to begin their campaign in the Concacaf Gold Cup in June while the Reggae Girlz will begin theirs at the FIFA Women’s World Cup later this year.

A number of the junior teams are also competing at the international level, most notably the U20 Girls who recently won their group to advance to the final round of the Concacaf U20 Championships qualifiers.

“In these times of austerity it is not easy to get sponsors on board but I think we have a product that is marketable,” he said. “We have a brand that people want to be a part of.”

To emphasize his point, he revealed that during a recent meeting with Adidas, they expressed their elation with what was happening with the Jamaica kit.

“Every single piece of kit in the United Kingdom was sold,” he said. “We met with (former Reggae Boy) Deon Burton, one of our celebrated from the ’98 campaign. He wanted a shirt and could not get one to buy. The product is marketable. Jamaica’s football is going places. The girls are doing very well; the boys will test their true mettle at the Gold Cup.”