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Arnett Gardens FC score Dream deal
September 10, 2024
Mark Golding, chairman for Arnett Gardens FC, declared that the 'Junglists' are more than just a club during a press conference yesterday where he announced their partnership with Dream Entertainment.
Golding said the partnership represents a momentous occasion for the club as the deal will seek to ensure a sustainable and financially viable future.
"One of my goals as a member of Parliament and chairman of the club is to achieve sustainability," Golding said. "Dream Entertainment is providing strategic and management guidance. They are the ones who are going to make the decisions going forward towards how the club deploys its resources and working with the management on the ground and the community."
Golding said the partnership is especially important for Arnett Gardens as they represent far more than just a club for the surrounding communities.
He explained that Arnett Gardens FC stands as a beacon of opportunity for players who spent their formative years at the club, and as a unifying force.
"Arnett Gardens Football Club is a very important institution and it means a great deal to the residents of the communities from Arnett Gardens, Trench Town, Jones Town and other communities around the area," Golding said.
"What has been happening over time is the standards that have been required to achieve success have been evolving and the bar has been raised on a consistent basis. The talents in the community are seeing the opportunities in football which are real."
Owen Hill, CEO of Professional Football Jamaica Limited, said the deal represents a major milestone for Arnett Gardens and the Jamaica Premier League (JPL).
He welcomed the agreement and said it could inspire other corporate entities to partner with Jamaican football clubs and raise the commercial value of the JPL.
"It is massive," he said. "It was always driven on commercialising the product and that meant ensuring the clubs are able to get external partnerships. With the Dream team coming on board, it is a momentous occasion and I think its added value before the start of the league.
"I would say to corporate entities that if you're not here, then you're missing the train. The train is actually moving and you can find a lot of these entities partnering with community-based organisations and bringing the energy that is required."
FIGHTING TEAM
Team captain Fabian Reid said Arnett Gardens FC's influence has far outgrown their community and also represents the hopes of Jamaicans living abroad.
He welcomed the partnership with Dream Entertainment and said the more the team continues to succeed, then the more support they will receive.
"Arnett Gardens community is one of the biggest in Jamaica. It is a community with passion and pride," Reid said. "The only thing we have in this community is the football and from football a play and we're winning, all fans outside of the country are coming back to give us support."
He added, "Arnett Gardens is a fighting team no matter what, not a physical fight but we still have that spirit with us. We believe in winning and everybody wants to support a winner so I'm happy to see the partnership and sponsorship with Dream."
