20/20 football for the west

Adrian Frater, News Editor
Western Bureau:

Football fans in western Jamaica will be exposed to an exciting new football initiative on Saturday, August 9, with the inaugural staging of Linkz96FM's 20/20 Schoolboy Football Fiesta, at Jarrett Park in Montego Bay.

The event, which has received the blessing of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and the Inter-Secondary School Sports Association (ISSA), is geared towards providing the daCosta Cup contenders from the Cornwall region with additional match practice ahead of the 2008 schoolboy football season.

"This is a part of Linkz96FM's drive to provide the schools from the county of Cornwall with another scope for match practice," said Roger Allen, of the Savanna-la-Mar-based radio station. "We are very excited about this event, and we are looking forward to it with much anticipation."

Details outlined

The details of the one-day tournament, inclusive of the participating teams, prize package and additional incentives, were outlined at the event's official launch at the Pelican Grill, in Montego Bay, last Saturday.

The participants, which include guest teams Garvey Maceo, the reigning daCosta Cup champions and Jamaica College, the reigning Manning Cup champions, are as follows: Cornwall College and St James High School (St James); Petersfield Comprehensive and Grange Hill High School (Westmoreland); Rusea's (Hanover), and William Knibb and Cedric Titus (Trelawny).

Prizes are: The winning team will pocket $100,000 and the Linkz96FM Trophy, second place $30,000 and a trophy and third place $10, 000 and a trophy. There will also be individual cash awards and trophies for the tournament's Most Valuable Player, Best Striker, Best Midfielder, Best Defender and Best Goalkeeper.

"This is good for football in the region because it is adding another dimension to what we already have on offer," said Orville Powell, president of the St James FA and chairman of the JFF Western Confederation. "We are all for any initiative aimed at helping to develop the game in the region."

Over the years, schoolboy football teams from Cornwall have been very strong in the daCosta Cup, including former champions Cornwall College, the most successful daCosta Cup team of all time, Rusea's, Herbert Morrison, Frome Technical and Godfrey Stewart.