THE battle for the right to be crowned winners of the 2009-10 Flow Champions Cup — Jamaica’s all island knock-out football competition — begins today with 10 matches islandwide.

The feature match will see former four-time winners Portmore United (2000, 2003, 2005, 2007) opposing the 1997 champions Naggo Head Sports Club in the St Catherine Derby. A lot of history exists between both teams.

Naggo Head, which is currently playing in the South Central Confederation Super League, secured their only hold on the All-Island trophy at the expense of Portmore (Hazard), a 1-0 result 13 years ago.

However Portmore, who are currently fighting against relegation in the National Premier League, has had the upper hand in recent years and only two weeks ago defeated Naggo Head on penalties to win the St Catherine Knockout.

Five other Premier League contenders will be on show in Round One of the competition, which also involves the fourteen parish champions.

Three-time premiership champion and beaten Champion’s Cup finalist from 1996, Arnett Gardens, will host St Mary outfit Star Cosmos at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex. Arnett Gardens have never had the distinction of lifting the KO Cup and should be gunning to come away with a win and advance to the second round.

Village United, the 2004 beaten finalist will entertain St Ann parish champions Benfica at the Elliston Wakeland Centre. KSAFA Jackie Bell finalist August Town will play away to Monymusk in Clarendon.

Rivoli United, with the Premier League’s leading scorer Devon Hodges, oppose Ujama Community Club at Hector’s River in Portland, while Humble Lions take on Manchester’s George’s Valley at the Effortville Community Centre.

Elsewhere, former back-to-back Champions Cup holders (1995 & 1996) Reno will battle Spicy Hill at the Frome Sports Complex, Leeds United square off against York United at STETHS, Granville tackles Bamboo at the Sam Sharp Mini-Ground, while KSAFA Jackie Bell finalist Cavaliers SC takes on Greenwich Town at the Constant Spring Field.

The winner of the Flow Champions Cup will walk away with $800,000, $150,000 more than last season’s champions Boys’ Town. The runners-up will pocket $400,000, while the two semi-final losers will collect $200,000 each. All 10 winners in round one will advance to meet the top 6 premier league teams in second round action on March 3 and 4, with those fixtures to be decided by a random draw on February 24.

Team Profile: Naggo Head Eyes Flow Cup

It is cliché to say: “only the fittest of the fittest will survive”.

However, the team’s motto is exactly the reality facing former National Premier League campaigners Naggo Head Sports Club.

Facing the prospect of losing most of their players, who are currently playing for free — the 1997 Champions Cup winners not only need to secure their second lien on the Flow trophy to remain viable –but also win the South Central Confederation Super League and return to the premiership.

Thirteen years after their Champions Cup success — a 1-0 victory over parish rivals Hazard United (now Portmore United); Team manager Roger Walcott believes his team is ripe for another fairy-tale run to the Cup.

“The year that we won it, I think we were playing D1 (Division One), a much lower league and from that day onwards they always called us the giant-killers because we played Hazard in that Champions Cup final and won it,” he said, noting that his financially strapped team can pull off the near-impossible once again.

To make matters even sweeter, Naggo Head is opening up the 2010 competition against Portmore in the St Catherine Derby.

“To tell the truth I have a tough work assignment. As you know we have played Portmore United in the St Catherine KO final two Sunday’s ago when they beat us on penalties, so I figure this time it’s going to be even tougher,” Walcott reasoned.

However, the manager is not giving up on his team, which last parading their skills in the National Premier League in the 2006/2007 season.

“One thing with my guys that I can tell you is that whenever we play a bigger team, we are always motivated,” he said.

“To tell the truth we are going for it because we need it and we need to also attract some sponsorship and in order to do that we have to show that we need it, so we going all out to win the Flow Champions Cup,” Walcott concluded.

Failure to win one or both of those trophies, could spell disaster for the Portmore-based club. “The guys have only committed to play out the rest of the season, so the aim is to be promoted back to the nation’s top flight football competition,” the manager reasoned.

The Naggo Head team, which was established 21 years ago, is currently second in the South Central Confederation Super League, which consists of teams from Manchester, St Elizabeth, Clarendon and St Catherine.