YFL Junior Cup season returns

THE HIGHLY anticipated Youth Football League (YFL) Junior Cup 2024-25 season is returning with its flagship competition, the Junior Cup Under-11 tournament, set to kick off next Saturday.

The Junior Cup is the largest independent competition for a single age group currently in Jamaica and brings together primary schools, preparatory schools and football academies in a massive melting pot of grassroots football.

The competition will also see the return of the ‘Girlz Can Play Too’ initiative, which was successfully launched last season. The all-girls tournament is slated to kick off in 2025 and will be open to all schools and academies which meet the age-group requirement.

Paula Pinnock, the competition’s organiser, expressed her excitement ahead of the season which promises even more teams and stronger competition across all age-group tournaments.

“We are excited to see what will unfold this season, with new teams and heightened competition. Grassroots football is key to the development of football in Jamaica, and this tournament continues to provide a platform for young talent to thrive,” she said.

The U11 tournament, the first of the season, will be played on the weekend over three legs in regional rounds before returning for the all-island finals.

The first leg, the Kingston regionals, will be played on September 28 at the Constant Spring Sports Complex. The competition will then move to Montego Bay the following week at West Pow Park on October 5 before the Manchester regionals at Kirkvine Sports Club on October 12.

The competition will then return to Kingston where the best teams from the regionals will compete in the all-island finals set for December.

Another addition to this season’s competition will be pre-event meeting with the various coaches and referees to go over the rules and the registration process for each match day.

The YFL stated this initiative is to ensure all parties are informed of their responsibilities as well to guarantee fair play and maintain the integrity of the sport.

The YFL also announced they have retained their long-standing sponsorship agreements with The Gleaner Company (Media) Ltd, Jamaica National, Insurance Company of the West Indies (ICWI), Free Your Image (FYI) Consultancy Group, Funland Jamaica, and Pepsi.

They also welcomed this season’s new sponsor Jason Sprigs Insurance Agency Incorporated.