The Tribune

By Amajahl Knowles

POPEYES Bahamas Bowl organisers yesterday pledged to strengthen the relationship between the game and the local community during a press conference in the convention area of the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island.

Britton Banowsky, commissioner of the C-USA, spoke about how the event was able to impact the community.

“One of the things about these big events is that you have an opportunity to work with persons in the community and last year we were blessed to be able to partner with the folks at the Ranfurly Home. We met with persons who are in need as well as hosted a youth clinic that gave us an opportunity to see young men and women in The Bahamas throw the football around and most importantly we saw them have fun interacting with the student athletes,” he said.

The conference not only highlighted the game itself, but committee members also touched on how their expectations were exceeded in regards to the reception and involvement from the Bahamian community and how they can find ways in which to give back, and midway through the conference, committee members presented a cheque for $56,000 to Alex Roberts of the Ranfurly Children’s Home.

Banowsky also mentioned that the committee is seeking to start a youth football league in The Bahamas in order to increase the overall pension for the game of football within the community.

“We are looking to start a youth football league that will span across four islands, it is big undertaking but we’re not afraid of big undertakings, so we’ll try and have a championship game consisting of 10-year-olds on the week of the Bowl Game and this should be a great start for a youth football programme in The Bahamas,” said Banowsky.

Pete Derzis, ESPN events senior vice president, alluded to the fact that he expects the relationship between the media conglomerate and The Bahamas to be a long and mutually benefitting one.

Outside of the actual game of football the conference was also held to give a platform for Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen to make a major announcement in regards to its relationship with The Bahamas as the franchise plans to re-open a chain within The Bahamas, according to Chief Marketing Officer Hector Munoz.

“We have aligned with a local partner to do a multi-unit multi year developmental project here in the islands and we’re scheduled to open up our first Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen sometime in October or November with an agreement to open several units over the next several years,” said Munoz.

The inaugural bowl game was well received globally thanks in large part to viral celebration of Central Michigan on seeing their invitation the bowl game and the game itself having one of the most thrilling finishes in bowl history with a desperation hail mary and lateral play by Central Michigan that almost won them the game. The bowl game is set for December 24 at The Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.