NGC in one-year $2.33m partnership with NAAA
Published: Thursday, April 3, 2014
Andrew Gioannetti (T&T Guardian)
The National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA), the local governing body for track and field, is set to benefit from a $2.33 million sponsorship agreement with the National Gas Company (NGC), which according to both parties will be utilised for the advancement of clubs, athletes, coaches and technical volunteers.
This was revealed at a media function dubbed “On the track to greater success” at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain, where details of the one-year-long partnership were revealed.
As a result of its patronage, NGC will take the title sponsor status at the Juvenile and Junior Championships, and will be a co-title sponsor of the Open Championship, according to president of the NAAA, Ephraim Serrette. At the end of the initial one-year sponsorship period, the agreement will be re-evaluated before potential renewal.
Serrette, speaking at yesterday’s event, thanked NGC, as well as the Ministry of Sport and the Sport Company of T&T (SporTT), saying that the aid of the gas company will help the NAAA “look into administrative support”.
“It will allow us to give support to clubs, both in capacity building and infrastructural support to our technical officials- an area that we tend not to pay particular attention to. We will be able to do refresher courses with officials, who have already been trained and we will recruit new technical officials. It will also allow us to do some coaching development for our coaches to assist them where we fall short on that, and as well as athlete’s development.”
Meanwhile, vice president human and corporate relations at NGC, Cassandra Patrovani Sylvester, echoed similar sentiments of the partnership but suggested the NAAA manage the sponsorship as best as possible for the benefit of local athletes and the nation.
She said, “To much is given, much, much more is expected.
“Our commitment to the NAAA, in the sum of $2,330,000 will be applied specifically to the areas of governance, elite high performance athletes, administration and development programmes for coaches and volunteers. The value is immeasurable.”
She said NGC is particularly proud that the partnership will provide much needed assistance with the development and restructuring of the Right on Track Coaching Caravan, as a feeder for the NAAA’s primary schools’ programme.
“I want to emphasize the idea of investment in this context (corporate social investment policy), as we expect all of our activities to deliver some form of return, not to NGC itself, but to the nation. These returns may take the form of social and economic development, increased community engagement and well-being, and the preservation fo the many gifts and talents with which this nation has been blessed,” said Patrovani Sylvester.
