Local football makes it to small screen

(CNS): The Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) has signed a deal with Cayman’s cable TV company to begin broadcasting local games on television. WestStar has committed the resources for a CIFA “Game of the Week” and various other programmes, in order to promote the world’s number one sport, in the Cayman Islands. It is hoped that the broadcast exposure will helps raise the profile of the sport, its programmes and players, building on fan interaction. “Television has changed the landscape of sports throughout the entire world and we believe that this new partnership with WestStar will have a huge impact for Cayman football,” said CIFA and CONCACAF President, Jeffrey Webb.

As the Association’s official broadcast partner here the goal is to create a model for television broadcasting partnerships in the region. The relationship has been years in the making, officials said, as Cayman 27 has broadcasted local football games throughout the years with limited resources. The partnership is also the result of a new marketing campaign started by CIFA and its member clubs, in an effort to maximize the community engagement in Cayman Islands

“We also hope this will bring new economical partners for the game that will take it to new heights, because, for us it’s about developing the game, building fan awareness and exposing the great football we have in the Cayman Islands,” he said.

“With the growth of sports tourism in Cayman, it is a valuable asset to have an entity such as WestStar investing in the country’s infrastructure,” added Webb.

He said that the regional footballing body had seen some success in individual territories to build broadcast partners but it has never been able to create a platform across the Caribbean and Americas “We’re hoping that this model between WestStar and CIFA can be replicated throughout the region,” said CIFA and CONCACAF President, Jeffrey Webb.
WestStar CEO, Bob Taylor explained the agreement includes broadcasting one game per week, and will continue to develop from there, saying, “New opportunities for employment, education and tourism are at the heart of this agreement.” WestStar will also be working with CONCACAF to build state-of-the-art infrastructure at a selected Grand Cayman facility for broadcasting.

Taylor is enthusiastic about how the relationship can open doors for local football and the Islands. “This is a great day for the Cayman Islands, for football and for television.  The partnershipwill not only change how we see sport in Cayman, but it will also change how the world sees Cayman,” he added.

WestStar and sister company CITN Productions will also provide production support for local and international events such as the CONCACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship in January 2014.