Slingerz Football Club is on a high this week, first boldly announcing their return to the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF)/ KFC Elite League with a massive 7-0 win and now becoming the first local team to have their jerseys retailed in store.
The groundbreaking merchandising announcement was made on Tuesday at MVP Sports’ Giftland Mall outlet, with the business entity being both a kit partner and the location at which the Slingerz replica jerseys will be sold.
At the simple unveiling ceremony, the Club’s Vice- President Rawle Toney divulged that it has been amongst the club’s plans for a long time and it is a step in the direction of professionalization.
“This has been a long time in the making with Ian. We had this discussion for quite some time. As you know the setback with getting into the Elite league, first phase is completed. We want to be the first local club to have our jerseys in stores because it’s something that we don’t see in Guyana.”
Slingerz players Curtez Kellman and Akel Clarke display the new jerseys alongside MVP Sports owner Ian Ramdeo and Club VP Rawle ToneyThe Slingerz fan jersey
“It’s hard to walk in and ask for your favourite club, we want to lead in that. So, we will be the first team in Guyana that people come and buy your fan jerseys for Slingerz.”
Toney went on to add about the move being a step in the professionalization direction, “This is the first step, having our merchandise in store. As I said earlier, I am peeved when, we members of the media have to report a club saying ‘wear red or orange or green or black to support Slingerz FC’. We want to move away from that and we want to set a standard. This is the first step in setting that standard.”
On the other hand, owner of MVP Sports Ian Ramdeo highlighted the massive impact that merchandising can have for clubs’ revenue.
Slingerz FC Vice President Rawle Toney
Ramdeo pointed out, “For us it’s not just about the sponsorship or providing financial support and not just looking for whatever mileage we can get out of it, it’s deeper than tat for us. So, we’re very happy actually to see one of the top clubs in Guyana take this step because as Rawle mentioned, merchandising and fan gear is a big way that clubs and any sports organization in Guyana can earn revenue.
“Having the team outfitted is the first step. The second step obviously after that is to have the jerseys and the team wear available for fans to purchase and I think a lot of people would be pleasantly surprised to know that there is a demand out there. Regardless of which team, regardless of which sport, regardless of which athlete,” the MVP Sports proprietor went on to add.
Slingerz FC midfielder, Curtez Kellman was on hand to extend gratitude to MVP Sports for their contributions.
“On behalf of Slingerz FC, the executive team, the players, I would like to extend a warm thank you to Mr. Ian and MVP Sports for coming on board, sponsoring our gears and also the fan jerseys. I want to say thank you once again and continue doing the good work that you have been putting in through sport,” the player said.
The Slingerz FC fan jerseys will be available at both the Club and MVP Sports. Jerseys will come in Men’s, Women’s and Youth sizes starting at $5000. According to the club, jerseys should be available before the team’s next Elite League game next week. (Jemima Holmes)
