Record year for Jamaican football

THE 35,000 people in the stands at the National Stadium on Tuesday night for Jamaica’s final Concacaf World Cup Qualifier against Curacao was a record, but it isn’t the only one the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is witnessing, despite a result that would have broken hearts.

Even as the 0-0 draw relegated the Reggae Boyz to the intercontinental play-offs in March of next year, where they will again attempt to make it to the 2026 World Cup, leaving the largest sporting crowd ever recorded at the venue shell-shocked, JFF ambassador with responsibility for sponsorships, Tanya Lee Perkins, also pointed out that the organisation achieved its highest sponsorship revenue in any single year.

Perkins, who leads the federation’s ‘Road to 2026’ campaign, says the milestone reflects a renewed national football culture and a strategic effort to elevate the match-day product.

“This is the biggest sporting crowd the National Stadium has ever seen,” Perkins said. “We also set a record for the most sponsorship revenue raised in a single year of the federation. Our sponsors showed up in full force.”

Perkins, founder and head of LEEP Marketing, represents both the captain and vice-captain of the Reggae Boyz, Andre Blake and Damion Lowe, and stepped into the ambassador role in January to spearhead sponsorship growth and lend her marketing expertise to the programme.

Independence Park Limited confirmed the historic attendance figure.

Martin Spaulding, operations manager, said the energy in the stadium echoed Jamaica’s iconic 1997 World Cup qualification run.

“It is the largest sporting crowd we have ever had at the National Stadium. It reminded us of when Jamaica qualified in 1997 and fans flocked the walls just to get a glimpse of the action.”

According to Lee Perkins, a major objective for 2025 was rebuilding the fan culture around Jamaica’s national football. The ‘Wear Yellow’ campaign was created for the final match to ignite that identity.

“When we sat in the stands in Trinidad and Curaçao, there was always a sea of red or blue. We needed that unity at home with our 12th man in a sea of yellow or gold, and so our press officer, Simon Preston, suggested we do the campaign, and that was the start,” she explained.

The initiative succeeded, turning the stadium into a vibrant show of national pride.

Though the result was not what Jamaicans hoped for, the Reggae Boyz advanced to the intercontinental play-offs, where they face New Caledonia in March. A win would set up a decisive showdown with DR Congo for a World Cup berth.

Perkins said the turnout represented a country searching for hope.

“Jamaica is going through tough times after Hurricane Melissa, and people needed a happy moment. They came because they believed we were on the cusp of that,” she said.

“We are not happy with the result, but we will regroup and try again. We owe it to Jamaica and to our sponsors to make a strong showing in the play-offs in March.”

For 2025, the JFF secured its largest-ever sponsorship portfolio. This was powered by existing partnerships with Adidas, Wray & Nephew, and the Sports Development Foundation, complemented by new commercial agreements with Visa, Grace Foods, Stewart’s Automotive Group, JustBet, TruSHAKE, WATA, Powerade, Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation, St Mary’s Snacks, Sunshine Snacks, and promotional partnerships with CVM TV and TVJ.

Their contributions strengthened operations, fan experience, and Jamaica’s competitive readiness on the Road to 2026. Avery Campbell, JFF marketing manager, together with 876 Stream, also contributed to a historic year for the JFF by helping to advance the marketing and promotional efforts.

“The partnership and support from our sponsors were central to the Road to 2026 campaign,” Perkins noted.

“They supported our call for a revitalised Sponsor Village, facilitated upgrades to our hospitality experience, and brought high-energy entertainment. The introduction of a jumbo screen with live action and a match clock allowed fans to follow the game more closely, plus their content creation which energised the fanbase. These upgrades helped to transform the stadium into a truly fan-first football environment.”

Despite the disappointment on the pitch, the night signalled a turning point, a reawakened fan base, and a record year for Jamaican football.

“The team work from marketing set the tone for a good year off the pitch. On the pitch, our supporters are passionate and upset, and that is expected because we were within striking distance of qualifying, but in football it isn’t over until the final whistle. The way I see it, we have 180 minutes to go in March with the intercontinental play-offs. We must thank our fans for showing up in record numbers. We are nothing without the people’s support.”