Fast-rising August Town FC was years in the making

When Marlon Small, manager of August Town Football Club, said the club was targeting a return to the Jamaica Premier League, few paid attention. Now a year later, August Town have certainly made waves as they prepare for the final of the KSAFA Championship, with a spot in the Tier II competition on the line.

August Town will face off against the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) tomorrow in the final of the KSAFA Championship at the Constant Spring Sports Complex.

With qualification to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Tier II competition on the line, Small said the team is ready to fight for their next step back to the top flight.

“We don’t want to start over from square one. We know the work that has gone into this. It is not a joke, and we’re not taking it as a joke,” Small said.

“Keeping the players focused on the task is not a challenge because they know what’s at stake, and they have all bought into the dream that we have in mind and what we have planned and what we have on the table.”

August Town, who were playing in the Major League just last year, have surprised many with their quality of football this season.

Small, however, was quick to insist that their success was not achieved through luck, but rather the result of years of planning for both the administration and the players.

He explained their three-year process, which saw them making it to the quarterfinals of the Major League in 2023, winning the Major League in 2024 and now competing in the Championship final in 2025.

“Our rise has surprised a lot of people, but the groundwork had been laid meticulously and you’re just practically seeing the end product now because we have been building this team for the last three years,” Small said.

“The club has the experience of playing in the top leagues previously, so this is, basically, a slow rebuilding process that is coming together all at once now. We have the same executive members and, basically, the same players for the last few years.

WE ARE READY

Small said despite many underestimating the team’s potential, they have continued to rise to the occasion.

He is confident that they can do the same tomorrow when they take on a robust JDF unit.

“A lot of pundits said Constant Spring would have walked over us in the semi-finals, but we came and showed them what we’re made of. So now we also know that JDF is a year-round finalist and semi-finalists in the Championships, but we are ready,” he said.

“This is just a step up in our journey to Tier II with the end result being for us to end up back in the Jamaica Premier League.”

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com