GSSSA basketball championships picks up sponsors

GSSSA basketball championships picks up sponsors

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) gained a last-minute sponsor and renewed several partnerships for its upcoming basketball championships, which begin on February 4 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

Generali Insurance, Aliv, Zemar and Rev have come on board as sponsors for the week-long event. The GSSSA is currently in the first round of its playoffs. Games are being contested across four divisions- junior girls, junior boys, senior girls and senior boys.

“These championships started with humble beginnings, but it has grown to the point where we are hosting all of our playoffs at Kendal Isaacs, in front of capacity crowds,” said senior education officer in the Ministry of Education Evon Wisdom. “Today, without fear of contradiction, we also want to highlight our girls in sports. We want to establish positive programs like this and we want to be able to do more to highlight young women across all five of the core sports in the country.”

Generali Business Development Manager Sherelle Johnson said that partnering with the championships or a similar venture is something that the company should have done a long time ago.

“I’m a little embarrassed that we haven’t done something like this before,” she said. “We understand the role sports plays in creating a healthier society. It also helps us live out one of our core values, which is live the community.  A lot of players come from less than humble means, but they have skill and talent. So, we see this as a great way to help out the community. I’m sure this will not be the last time that we lend our help to this endeavor.”

In an effort to raise awareness for the championships, REV will broadcast the game live on its network.

“We have had a long partnership with this tournament and it is our pleasure to be the broadcast partner for this event,” said REV manager of media operations Alexia Coakley.

“This empowers our athletes. We know sport development is important, and we are happy to utilize our production team to lend a hand to this event.”

Aliv will serve as a sponsor of the event for a third consecutive year.

“Sports, and by extension, basketball is extremely popular in the local community. So, it is with great pride that we sponsor these championships,” Aliv media champion Sasha Lightbourne said. “This is a great opportunity for us to invest in our boys and girls, as they represent the future of the country, and need as much help as possible.”

About Randy Smith

Randy Smith is the producer of the widely-watched local television show “Beyond The Headlines” and the web content manager of Eyewitness News. He joined Eyewitness News as a sportscaster in 2018, a role he still performs, and has previously covered a slew of international sporting events, including the 2015 Pan American Games, the Nike EYBL Showcase, several IAAF World Relays, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Bahamas Bowl and multiple CARIFTA Swimming and Track & Field Championships. Randy has been recognized by the Bahamas Press Club with awards for “Best Sports Broadcast” as a sportscaster and “Best TV Talk Show” as a producer.