MONTEGO BAY, St James-

Despite losing 6-0 to Seba Youths on aggregate over both legs of the St James Football Association’s Hart Shield Senior League finals, Violet Kickers will contest the Western Confederation Super League next season.

The former two-time National Premier League champions and 1999 Jamaica Football Federation’s JNBS Federation Cup Knockout runners-up were being promoted for the third time in four seasons since returning to competitive football.

Violet Kickers who were prevented from competing in any competition run under the auspices of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) for a number of years after they had changed their name to Mt Salem United in the now defunct National A-League, won the Division Two four years ago and were runners up in the Sandals Division One the next season, earning promotion on both occasions.

Seba Youths, who came from behind to beat ACES FC in the semi-finals, dominated the finals against a Violet Kickers team who had beaten them once in two meetings in the preliminary rounds on their way to topping the league points tables at the end of both rounds.

Terrence McIntyre had scored all four goals in the first-leg final while Dwayne Powell and Andrew James scored on Monday in a game that lacked any intensity or purpose.

Seba Youths, which is one of several teams that fall under the same management team including the Premier League club Seba United, is allowed to participate in the Hart Shield Senior League “for development purposes only”, according to senior St James FA officials Orville Powell and Bruce Gaynor who are also senior members of the St James FA. Gaynor is also the second vice-president of the Jamaica Football Federation.

The Seba Youths team is thus ineligible for promotion but can still collect winning purses.

The Seba Youths team was “winning” the Hart Shield for the second straight year after finishing with the most points last season when the competition was played on a league format. A protest against runners-up Fogo United was however upheld and they were allowed to advance to the Super League in a compromise which saw Seba Youths awarded the winning prize.

Meanwhile, North Gully Ambassadors completed a good evening for teams from the Paradise Row area when they won the Sandals Division 1 on a 3-2 aggregate despite Granville Youths winning the return-leg finals, also played at Jarrett Park on Monday.

Gully Ambassadors had won the first leg 2-0 and was winning third title earning their second straight promotion after winning the Division Two last season.