THE inaugural LIME/INSPORTS All-Island Primary football league culminated earlier this week at the National Arena with a prize-giving ceremony for the over 280 primary school teams that participated in the 2011 competition.

Represented were players, coaches and supporters from the 14 parish champion teams, including Lacovia Primary School who copped the first ever National Primary School Football title at Prison Oval last week Friday.

Stephen Price, LIME’s regional special projects manager congratulated the players for what he described as “very promising football talent”.

He further affirmed the company’s sponsorship of the grass-roots programme: “Football continues to be the most popular sport in Jamaica, and in order to secure the country’s further success we have to invest at the schoolboy level.”

Price also pledged support for coaches of the sport and encouraged them to embrace the roles they play in shaping Jamaica’s young ‘Reggae Boyz’.

Sports Minister Olivia Grange also registered her support for the competition, saying: “The ministry is committed to ensuring the development of sports at the primary level and that our future athletes get every opportunity to succeed.”

In addition, she further commended the parents of the players for their support for the country’s most junior footballers.

The telecoms company presented Lenovo desktop computers with high-speed internet for the schools of the 14 parish champions and mobile handsets for the coaches and leading goal scorers from each parish.

Ajay Chin, a 12-year-old student of Prospect Primary in Manchester and top goalscorer for the league, said: “Through this competition I have learnt to never give up and to play as a team.” Chin secured a total of 18 goals for his team over the six-month playing season.

In January, the telecommunications company pledged support to the tune of $60 million; the largest sport sponsorship for a grassroots programme in Jamaica’s history. Through the partnership LIME will continue to provide assistance in the form of gear and technical development for the young players for another two years.