WATA representatives met up with the Waterhouse Football Club (WFC) and the Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) in the St Andrew community it owes its name to last Saturday (September 25) to launch what the company dubs, the #WATAhouseEffect. 

Under the initiative, three schools in the community will benefit from funding gained through their recycling programme, receive five tablets each to support online learning activities and two small retail locations in the area will receive a facelift.

Through its brands, WATA and Powerade, Wisycno has been a long-standing sponsor of football on all levels of the sport in Jamaica year-round. This season, Wisynco has committed $10 million to the Jamaica Premier League and has taken the opportunity to strengthen its commitment to the Waterhouse community.   

Balcombe Drive Primary and Junior High, St Patrick’s Primary, and Drew’s Avenue Primary and Infant School will be fitted with recycling cages that will be accessible to students and community members to facilitate the collection of plastic bottles.

This is made possible in partnership with Recycling Partners of Jamaica (RPJ).  To kick start this initiative, Wisynco conducted a community clean-up activity in conjunction with the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), supported by the community members and the three schools in the area.

Wisynco’s Senior Marketing and Public Relations Manager, Tamara Ward, explained, “The protection of our environment is all of our responsibility.  As a corporate company, we are committed to doing our part by continuing to educate our consumers and being a major contributor to the RPJ Deposit Refund System, which allows persons, schools and organizations to earn when they return bottles for recycling.”

Ward asserted further, “…from a young age, we want our children to develop the right habits to properly dispose of their plastic waste so that we can continue to protect our environment for years to come.”

The community clean-up saw the collection of thousands of plastic bottles over the two-hour activity.

The Sandy Gully, which runs through the community, has been used as a dumping ground for garbage in the past.

Simone Johnson, who participated in the clean-up with her primary-aged son, shares that, through the #WATAhouseEffect, she has learned about recycling. She believes that the clean-up will ensure, “we will have fewer bottles in the gully.”

She opined that she is using the opportunity to teach her child the importance of a clean environment.

General Manager of the Waterhouse Football Club, Kerry-Ann Robinson, shares her appreciation for the initiative that saw a number of the club members joining in support to clean up the community. A number of the players live in the community, and the spirit of “humanitarianism is an ingredient we [WFC] want to instill in our youth.”

In thanking Wisynco for their sponsorship to the JPL, Robinson said, “like other clubs, we [WFC] are in dire need of support as it provides salaries for over 40 players on our staff”. Sports is not just a big part of the community, more so football, but “when the WFC performs well, it keeps the community at peace.”    

Clyde Jureidini, Director at the Professional Football Jamaica Limited, operators of the Jamaica Premier League, pointed out that, “without corporate sponsorship, there is no Premier League. Title sponsors take the burden to cover the majority of the clubs”. He encourages more sponsors to come on-board so that the league can grow”.

Ward remarked that, “it is our commitment to youth and community development that has driven our decision to do this, and we are excited to stand with the JPL, the WFC, and the community in this way.”

Jamaicans can watch the JPL matches through cable networks, free-to-air television, and live streaming channels. As the Waterhouse Football Club continues to dominate the points standing in the Jamaica Premier League and with the Team’s recent 1-0 win against Mount Pleasant Football Academy on September 25, Wisynco is confident that the Waterhouse Football Club team has a strong chance of winning the finals slated for October 2.

“Let’s re-discover our love for football, pandemic or no pandemic,” said Ward.