GRANGE Hill Alliance have been given a new life when they were announced as the wild card team who will continue their hunt for national supremacy in the inaugural staging of the LIME Street Football Challenge.

The team out of Westmoreland has now completed the slate of 16 teams, which will be vying for $1 million inclusive of an all-expense-paid trip to represent Jamaica at the Regional Guinness Football Challenge in Trinidad & Tobago.

LIME’s vice-president of marketing Carlo Redwood expressed extreme pleasure with the progression of the competition.

“As the main sponsors we are indeed satisfied with the outpouring of support and the overwhelming, positive response that we have received from football fans and players all over Jamaica,” he said while addressing those in attendance at the Cuddy’z Sports Bar yesterday.

Redwood added that the LIME Street Football challenge has filled the gap between the more organised and formal competitions and football played in every nook and cranny of Jamaica.

“This competition has created an excellent connection point for us with the average football fans, players and the wider communities, while of course giving another set of players a chance to showcase and develop their talent.”

Raymond Anderson, in his capacity as third vice-president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), commended the telecommunications firm on its efforts and declared that the competition has the full endorsement of the federation.

“I want you to represent the country well. You are not only going to represent your parish, your community and your friends… you will now be representing Jamaica,” said Anderson in encouraging the potential champions.

The round of 16 and quarter-finals will kick off at the Mineral Heights Netball Court in Clarendon on Sunday with the semi-finals and final set to take place on May 23 in Half-Way-Tree square, where patrons will be graced by an entertainment package to be headlined by dancehall star Aidonia and LIME ambassadors Ity & Fancy Cat, alongside Pretty

Boy Floyd.

“We figured that if we are going to have a real street football competition we have to take the final to a venue befitting the occasion, so we will be transforming the area into our own LIME street football stadium,” Redwood outlined.

The firm will also be providing match kits to the four semi-finalists, with the national champion set to be mentored by former

Reggae Boyz skipper Ricardo ‘Bibi’ Gardner.

The regional competition is scheduled to take place on June 6-7 at the Jean Pierre Complex, where the national champion from Jamaica will go up against St Lucia, Antigua, Dominica, St Kitts, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Guyana and the host who will be defending their title.

Round of 16 match ups

*Little London FC (Westmoreland) vs Hornets Masters (St James);

*Bamboo Tree FC (St Mary) vs Smokers (Hanover);

*Gulf Strikers (St Thomas) vs High Voltage (Portmore);

*Rising Stars (St Catherine) vs Real Treasure Beach (St Elizabeth);

* Denver Crescent All-stars (St Andrew) vs Dromily FC (Trelawny);

*Young Bloods (Clarendon) vs Street People (Kingston);

*Parry Town FC (St Ann) vs Los Perfectos Masters (Manchester);

*Super Boys (Portland) vs Grange Hill Alliance (Westmoreland).