TELECOMMUNICATIONS firm LIME will initiate the inaugural staging of the national scrimmage Street Football Challenge 2014 set to commence on Saturday, March 22. The all-island tournament was launched at Mandela Square in Half- Way Tree on Friday.

The competition will see community teams vying for a share of $2.5 million, as each parish champion will be made $100,000 richer. The overall national champion will receive the ultimate grand prize of $1 million, and an all-expense-paid trip to represent Jamaica in the Guinness Regional Street Football competition which will take place in Trinidad & Tobago in June.

Vice-President of Marketing at LIME, Carlo Redwood, noted that the event is aimed at exposing and unearthing young talent across the island, while bringing entertainment to the various communities. “It’s World Cup year and we wanted a football activity where we will get to engage with customers.

We wanted a unique opportunity to go out into communities to engage with our customers and we thought this national competition would be the right way to connect with communities, reinforce the football and bring entertainment to the communities at the same time.

“Football is indeed the most popular sport in Jamaica and there is a massive fan base that enjoys both local and international competitions. We intend to provide wide exposure for the teams who will participate, and of course, a platform to showcase the raw talent of Jamaicans when it comes to sports,” he explained.

Former Reggae Boyz captain Ricardo ‘Bibi’ Gardener, who is the official endorser for the project, commended the telecommunications network for the initiative.

“This is a really great initiative by LIME, it is great for the island and for a lot of talent that is not seen around the country. Going into the communities and doing something like this, which will help expose young, aspiring and talented players, is really amazing,” said the Wolmer’s old boy.

The competition is set to last over a 10-week period, with games playing every Saturday and Sunday of each week. Only 16 teams will be able to participate per parish, which is an overall average of 240 teams from 15 regions taking part, as Portmore will be participate separately from St Catherine .

The tournament will be four-aside, and will be played in a fastpaced 10-minute per half format. Communities are required to register eight players per team and are allowed to have one professional or senior-level player.

All parish champions will be determined over an eight-hour single match day, and will advance to the knockout round along with a wild card team that will complete the final 16.