Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) has now acquired $80 million in sponsorship for the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), after Restaurant Associates Limited through the Burger King brand and Trade Wind Citrus with Tru-Shake joined the growing list of sponsors on Tuesday.

PFJL has garnered 80 per cent of the targeted $100 million for the season, although a date for the start of the island’s top-flight football competition has not been set.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has rejected plans proffered by the competition’s stakeholders for the start of the competition, which must be in keeping with the government’s regulations to stop the spread of COVID-19.

In the latest sponsorship addition, however, representatives of both Restaurant Associates Limited and Trade Wind said at a handing over function at the Jamaica Pegasus that they are pleased to be associated with the competition.

According to sales and marketing manager of Burger King, Sabrina McDonald Radcliffe the sponsorship is a progression on previous football deals in recent years.

“The Burger King brand has been supporting football for many years at the high school and club levels. We’ve sponsored teams like Mount Pleasant and Dunbeholden in the Premier League and we were sponsors of schoolboy football for five years. Coming on board for Jamaica Premier League is just a natural transition,” McDonald Radcliffe said.

Lauren Mahfood, marketing manager of Trade Winds Citrus believes that football and Tru Shake is a natural blend.

“We all know football is the heart of Jamaican sports and we have developed the perfect product for athletes. Tru Shake is a highly nutritious product packed with nine grams of protein and 30 per cent calcium, which will allow the footballers to replenish their bodies and get the nutrients that they need. We are happy to be on board as a sponsor and we are ready to shake things up,” Mahfood said.