ExxonMobil will be fuelling the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) Franchise as they begin their 2018 HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title hunt.
The collaboration was officially revealed along with the team’s new kit at the Marriott Hotel yesterday where fans, media, players and various stakeholders launched the franchise’s campaign prior to encampment.
GAW were given some kind words of encouragement from country manager of ExxonMobil Rod Henson who expressed his excitement in anticipation of what he describes as “a fantastic season.”
“This is our second year with Guyana Amazon Warriors….last year was fantastic and we will see greater things this year…we have a solid team and I’ve been talking to the team about our chances and I think it’s going to be a fantastic year,” Henson said.
The country manager expressed his confidence in the team, stating that he has no doubts they will be excellent ambassadors for their country, the sport and ExxonMobil.
Henson also praised the unit for their efforts off the field including the social development of young people, motivational speaking and other forms of community work which he credited to being one of the reasons the company got on board.
“One of the reasons ExxonMobil is very happy of partnering with the GAW is they have a long standing excellent tradition of corporate citizenship. Over the years they have done a lot of things like networking, motivational speaking, visiting schools and what not in a whole bunch of areas…”
It is a known fact that the teams of the CPL include young players who are gifted the opportunity to be around the team and gain valuable experience. However, in the last two years the Cricket West Indies Regional Under-19 tournament has been scheduled at the same time.
This year it is no different with the inclusion of youngster, 16-year-old Keron Thomas, who lives in England but family hails from Agricola, East Bank Demerara.
Meanwhile, President of American Chamber of Commerce Guyana, Zulfikar Alli echoed the sentiments of Henson as it relates to the excitement of being with the Warriors franchise.
“The American Chambers is very new and to be partnering with Amazon Warriors is
very exciting for us. We would like to thank Dr. [Booby] Ramroop for inviting us to be a part of the Amazon Warriors. I’m a very ardent cricket fan and I love the team we have here. I mean it is a very exciting team and I know you will lift the title for us this year,” Alli stated. Operations Manager of the team, Omar Khan, thanked the sponsors for asserting their confidence in the Warriors who have made it to the finals three times but were unable to lift the title.
Khan stressed on the changing of the landscape from just on field cricket to it being an industry that is dependent on corporations.
“The GAW franchise, a lot of us feel cricket is just on the field of play, cricket landscape has transformed and it is now a business and industry and, as an industry, we need to set up a system in place to sustain our level of participation and as Ron said so we can represent and be ambassadors of our countries,” Khan said.
He explained that the Caribbean economy is not comparable to the other big leagues across the world but the spirit of the game and support through sponsorship is what keeps the wheels turning.
“We all appreciate the fact unlike IPL [Indian Premier League] and Big Bash our economy is different. We struggle in the Caribbean to get sponsors on board but when get sponsorship on board we appreciate that. Last year we managed to establish a relationship with ExxonMobil and we are very happy they have come on board and supported us fully and they have been integral to the team by coming on as the major sponsor of the GAW,” Khan said. With CPL being the biggest party in sport, Khan pressed the players to make the sponsors proud as well as the fans as they help foster a better livelihood.
“Show them we appreciate them and let them know the sponsorship is not just about ExxonMobil Logo sponsoring cricket but making ExxonMobil proud by doing other things in Guyana and the Caribbean by making other commitments through the GAW like encouraging everyone to come out and support the GAW and help them develop their overall livelihood.”
Khan indicated that the team is expected to become whole soon with skipper, Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanvir, Jason Mohammed, Imran Tahir and Keemo Paul still to arrive.
CPL begins on August 8 with Guyana set to begin their hunt on August 9 against St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots.
