For the first time in four years, the national senior men’s team of the Jamaica Hockey Federation will be able to participate in an international competition, thanks to a cash injection of Four Hundred and Ten Thousand Dollars ($410,000) from Guardian Life Limited.

The national players leave the island on Monday, September 11 for the Dominican Republic, to participate in a number of friendly matches with that nation’s national players. These games will kick-start the local team’s preparation programme for the Caribbean and Central American Games (CAC) to be held in 2010.

An ecstatic Richard Shaw (3rd), Manager of the national senior men’s hockey team of Jamaica points to the figure which was donated by Guardian Life Limited to his team to facilitate their participation in a tournament with the Dominican Republic, while (from left) Jamaica Hockey Federations president, Victor Tomlinson, Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook, Secretary/General of the Jamaica Olympic Association and Earl Moore, President & CEO of Guardian Life share in the occasion.

According to Richard O. Shaw, Manager of the team, “we are eternally grateful to Guardian Life for coming on board at this crucial stage of our development programme. Because our players have been inactive since 2002 when they last competed in the CAC Games that were held in Puerto Rico, it has been an uphill task to keep them focused and motivated.�

The hockey executive further added that this opportunity to play in the Dominican Republic will afford the team the chance to play with some of the region’s top rated players.

Further, it will give our technical team a chance to identify areas of weakness in terms of techniques and skills. These will ultimately guide our future preparation plans as we seek to improve upon our style of play and execution.�

President of Guardian Life, Earl Moore, noted that his Company is pleased to be associated with the Jamaica Hockey Federation and noted that this partnership signals a continuation of his Company’s efforts to contribute to the development of youth and sports in Jamaica.

“Sports is one of those areas that fosters the wholesome development of an individual: it nurtures discipline, team spirit, technical and professional competence and is results-oriented. With these positive facets, Guardian Life is committed to encouraging and supporting efforts such as these that contribute to the overall positive development of the human spirit in particular and nationhood in general,� the President stated.

The sponsorship will cover airfare and gears for the players. [more photos]