Financial services giant, The Maritime Financial Group has come on board to form a new partnership with Caribbean Football Union Club Champions and two-time reigning Digicel T&T Pro League title-holders, Central FC.
The official signing took place on Friday at the company, Tenth Avenue, Barataria Office, and will see Maritime utilise Central's community programme as part of their commitment to supporting youth empowerment and community development in T&T.
"We will be devising several community projects with Maritime's core values in mind," said Central FC managing director, Brent Sancho.
"Once we met with Maritime chief executive officer, Andrew Ferguson and his team, we recognised that we were both on the same page with regards to corporate social responsibility, and that by harnessing the strengths of both organisations, we can deliver meaningful projects to the community."
With the two-time Pro League champions embarking on their Champions League encounter against Vancouver Whitecaps in Canada last night (Wednesday), the timing couldn't be better.
"It will be a proud moment for the team to step out on global television with the Maritime logo on our jerseys" said Sancho, who confirmed that Maritime would also be featured on all training and travel attire.
Speaking on the new partnership, Ferguson said, "For us at Maritime, corporate social responsibility is about more than just filling a quota or responding to a mandate. It's important to us that we identify opportunities where we can make a genuine difference to the communities we serve, especially when we are reaching out to young people. We believe that this partnership with Central's programme will allow us to do exactly that: make a lasting impact by engaging young people through sport, a medium that fosters a sense of unity and togetherness that is essential to building strong communities for the future."
Central FC will return from their 18-hour journey to Vancouver in time for the launch of the 2016-17 Digicel T&T Pro League season which kicks off in Pt Fortin tomorrow evening with a double-header.
Central FC will see their first league action against fellow Champions League contenders W Connection in a thrilling opening game at Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on Tuesday.
"It's always exciting to begin a new page in the club's history," said Sancho. "We have been extremely fortunate in working with some great sponsors since we were formed in 2012, and we look forward to a productive partnership with The Maritime Financial Group."