The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

One of the country’s leaders in youth sports development joined forces with a major corporate sponsor. 

Aliv announced a “six figure sponsorship” of the Freedom Farm Baseball League, and a three-year agreement between the two organisations.

Opening day for Freedom Farm is set for Saturday, January 14 and senior director of the league, CJ McKenzie, said the sponsorship will be able to pay immediate dividends for various necessary initiatives that will be immediately visible at the complex in Yamacraw.

“With this partnership we will have a lot of changes going on. We have been trying to get scoreboards for quite some time and did not have the financing for them. Our treasurer confirmed last week that scoreboards are on the way and we will have them placed on our Coach Pitch and 9-10 fields.

“We have some adjustments to make to the fields in terms of clay, fencing, dugouts. Overall you will see beautifying of all the fields. We had a lot of damage from Hurricane Matthew. It really did us in, but we will be prepared for opening day this Saturday. We are looking toward an app that the players, coaches and fans can use so there’s a technological aspect of this partnership we are looking forward to as well,” he said.

“This is one the most exciting seasons we are geared up for. Freedom Farm has been in existence for almost 30 years and over that time we have produced a major leaguer, over a dozen professional athletes, as well as dozens and dozens of college scholarships – all without a major sponsor. So now with Aliv, there is so much more we can do. We look forward to this season’s games and pushing the Aliv brand. In our first meeting one of the things we talked about was establishing ourselves with a number one company. Freedom Farm is number one in baseball in the country and we see Aliv looking to be dominant in their market and becoming number one.”

This season, over 40 teams will participate in the league.

Freedom Farm will begin its 29th season. It’s opening day celebrations  include a gathering of parents, sponsors, coaches, family and friends to worship at Holy Cross Anglican Church.

Following the service, the seven divisions will line up for a parade. After an official opening ceremony, play in all divisions will commence.

Greg Burrows, president of Freedom Farm, said while the numbers around the league continue to expand exponentially, the sponsorship from Aliv is both timely and necessary.

“Our numbers continue to grow with close to 800 kids in the programme, 60-70 coaches, over 100 volunteers and parents that assist the programme. We have a Cal Ripken World Series win, and continue the motto of Freedom Farm – the advancement of education through the sport of baseball. Here it is a new company looking forward to assist a developing programme. Even though we are 29 years in I still consider us a developing programme,” he said. “We have been asking for a long time and a new company decides to partner with us. It is touching that they see fit to invest in a programme that has affected so many young men and women over the years. I can tell of times we have received assistance in small amounts over the years, but we have still been able to do great things. We are the number one programme in the country, the largest in the country and I am just happy to be a part of this arrangement and I hope that you see fit, even after I have exited the scene, to continue to support Freedom Farm.”

Bianca Bethel-Sawyer, corporate events and sponsorship manager at Aliv, said the partnership further demonstrates the company’s commitment to youth and community development.

“The three-year commitment allows Aliv to be the official sponsor of the league and assist with its aim of the pursuit of higher education through the sport of baseball. The support underscores Aliv’s passion to encourage the growth and development of the young people of the Bahamas. Aliv has committed financial support, equipment and uniforms to help hundreds of players in different divisions of the league with improving their baseball skills,” she said. “It is our hope that all the players in the league enjoy the positive experiences that the sport offers, including the appreciation of the values of teamwork, discipline and fair play. Our sponsorship will also ensure that the league’s park fields and facilities are kept in pristine condition. We truly see this as a great opportunity for us to invest in a league but in the young players who will benefit from learning the sport.”

Freedom Farm returned to the Bahamas Baseball Federation’s Andre Rodgers National Championship last year and staked their claim as the sport’s most dominant programme in the country.

Freedom Farm captured gold medals in each of the five contested divisions in the 14th edition of the national tournament at the EMERA Baseball Complex in Grand Bahama last June.

“We mark the start of a great relationship between Aliv and the Freedom Farm Baseball League,”  said Norman Lightbourne, Aliv marketing executive. “With this relationship, both organisations take a step toward achieving their goals by assisting the development of youth in the Bahamas while raising awareness of our shared themes and representing what the Aliv brand means.”