The countdown for the big clash between a Digicel Kick-start Academy selection and the Jamaica National Under-16 team tomorrow will begin with a series of matches among the three Digicel selections at Sabina Park this morning, beginning at 10:00 to determine which of the teams will reach the final stage.

The three Academy teams will go head-to-head against each other for parity in the opening qualifying rounds to battle for positions of one, two and three. At the end of the qualifying exercises between Academy selections, Team One will face Team Three, while Team Two will come up against Jamaica’s Under-16s in a semi-final contest tomorrow.

The top team will then meet the National Under-16 selection afterwards in the final at Sabina Park.

The fifth edition of the Digicel Kick-start Academy seven-day introductory skills development training programme was launched at Sabina Park on Monday. There were 42 young males selected from 13 countries, that include the Caribbean and Central America and Cuba, and put through almost a week of intensive skills development exercises geared specifically to culminate with a final match against the Jamaica National Under-16 team.

Chelsea Football Club, who part-sponsored the Academy, provided the technical expertise with skills development training elements that will lead to a final match being conducted by the club’s international coaching skills developers, which include international technical support officer Steven Winnett, international football development head coach Anthony Myers, international development officer Zak Wooster and senior international development officer David Monk.

— Hurbun Williams