COCA-COLA, POWERADE PARTNER WITH CONCACAF

Coca-Cola, PowerAde partner with CONCACAF

Kingston, Jamaica: — The world’s largest beverage company, The Coca-Cola Company, announced this week that with its brands PowerAde and Coca-Cola they would be the official beverages of the CONCACAF under-17 football tournament. The tournament is set to be held in Jamaica in February 2011.

At a press conference at the Terra Nova Hotel on Monday November 29, Robert Mercade, General Manager of the Caribbean and Venezuela for Coca-Cola, told journalists that the sponsorship was an extension of the brand’s worldwide commitment to promoting active lifestyle among young people and families.

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) is the governing body for soccer (football) in the region, and one of six continental authorities that administer the game along with FIFA, the world governing body.

“We believe in this kind of partnership. Under the Company's Live Positively philosophy, we have guided our commitment to making positive contributions to our communities,” Mercade said, before reminding persons that Coca-Cola is in fact the longest running corporate partner for FIFA and the FIFA World Cup.

The brand has had advertising in World Cup stadiums since 1950, and officially became a sponsor of the world’s largest sporting event in 1978.

Coca-Cola and its products are exclusively franchised by Jamaica’s largest distributor of food and non-alcoholic brands The Wisynco Group Ltd.  Wisynco’s head honcho, William Mahfood, said that  deciding to partner with CONCACAF was a good decision.

“The opportunity for a great partnership and synergy presented itself and we saw where Coca-Cola could be of significant help to the development of the sport of football not only in Jamaica, but in the region as well,” Mahfood said.

He added that the company would be sponsoring in both cash and kind.

The Jamaica Football Federation’s Howard McIntosh said that the sponsorship was needed “and more than welcomed”, saying that Coca-Cola was the first local sponsor of next year’s competition.