Title sponsor Red Stripe will be making sure the first Monday night game is a showcase of what is to come for the rest of the season with lots of giveaways, entertainment and beer.

Red Stripe assistant brand manager, Toni-Ann Reid, said they are very excited in their fifth year as league sponsors and are looking to make it better.

“We will be having a surprise artiste during the half-time break along with the giveaways. Fans can get a beer for $150, while a bucket of six is for $750,” revealed Reid.

“With that said, we will continue to make broadcasts more engaging and cutting edge and viewers can look out for more social media synergies and more in-depth statistical analyses through our partnership with ESPN,” she added.

With the league kicking yesterday, the first proposed Saturday live game has not been decided, but Reid is anxiously looking forward to the new innovation.

“We are happy the games are being extended to Saturdays (as) it gives Red Stripe a great opportunity to connect with our consumers, bar owners and football fans,” she noted.

“All this effort will move to make the league more legitimate and more visible on the world stage and give Jamaicans something (more) to be very proud of,” said Reid.

Red Stripe, which took over the sponsoship of the league in 2011, only last year re-signed for another five years to the tune of $160 million per year, with the total investment over the life of the deal put at some $800 million.

That figure includes sponsorship money paid to the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA), television broadcast done by Phase 3 Production and other entertainment packages, making the sponsorship one of the biggest in local footbal history.

The previous three-year deal was said to be worth $45 million annually, moving that now to some $135 million.

Only last year, Phase 3 production invested in excess of $10 million to acquire a state-of-the-art DYNO Slow Motion machine to enhance the production of their televised Monday Night Football programme.

— Howard Walker