JAMAICA will for the first time host the regional finals of the Caribbean’s premier street football tournament, the Guinness Street Football Challenge.

The event, which will be staged in Jamaica for a second year, was officially launched at Norma’s Pub, Waltham Park Road, on Tuesday.

The event, now in its fifth year, will see telecommunications company Digicel taking over the reins as major sponsors of what is expected to be a fast-paced and scintillating tournament.

Andrew Anguin, acting brand manager of Guinness, welcomed the partnership with the telecommunications firm.

“Community development and the game of football are at the heart of who we (Digicel and Guinness) are as brands. We are absolutely excited about our partnership with Digicel to deliver the premier street football tournament of the Caribbean,” he said.

Anguin added that the tournament will see consumers representing the pride of their community and country in true “Guinness style”.

“This tournament represents a fusion of the passion and entertainment at the grassroots level and we are excited about seeing our consumers show they are ‘Made of More’,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Kamal Powell, senior sponsorship and development manager of Digicel pointed out that they will be using the initiative to engage customers in a wholesome manner.

“Sports and community are two key focuses for us at Digicel. So our support of the Guinness Street Football Challenge is a no-brainer as this initiative embodies these pillars,” he said.

“With football being such a huge part of our culture, we look forward to using this initiative to unify our communities and further heighten the spirit of football that exists on our avenues, corners, boulevards and ‘ends’. We will be engaging our customers with fun and wholesome activities throughout the season,” he added.

The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF)-sanctioned event will kick off on March 1 in Spanish Town, with the island-wide parish knockout finals ending on May 31. The format of the competition will be a four-a-side scrimmage with 16 teams randomly selected to take part in the respective parish knockout finals.

There will be four groups of four teams battling for the title of parish champions, $100,000 and a chance to be in the national knockout finals in Kingston and St Andrew on June 14. Each parish knockout will also have four alternate teams in case of a selected team dropping out or failing to meet the required stipulations, while the national finals will comprise all 13 parish finalists (Kingston and St Andrew competing as one parish) and three wild card teams making up the final 16.

The national champion will walk away with $300,000, while the second and third-placed teams will take home $100,000 and $50,000, respectively.

After a local champion has been crowned, the winning team will represent Jamaica against the best of the Caribbean for a showdown also in Kingston and St Andrew on June 27 and 28 that will determine the Guinness Street Football Challenge champion.

The Caribbean champion will be awarded US$6,000; the second-placed team will take home US$3,000, while the third- and fourth-placed finishers will be awarded US$2,000 and US$1,000, respectively, for their efforts.

As a major sponsor of the competition, Digicel will also be presenting the Golden Boot Award of $20,000 to the top scorer of each parish. However, the winner of the Digicel Golden Boot Award at the national finals will receive a prize of $50,000 and the symbolic golden boot trophy.

Registration for parish competitors can be done through the Jamaica Football Federation and the respective parish associations, as well as through a Digicel hotline which will be made available Monday to Friday between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.

The event will be staged every Sunday from 12:00 noon, with the games scheduled to kick off at 2:00 pm. The on-pitch activities will be followed by a Guinness after party which will go on until midnight.

Tuesday’s launch ended with an exciting exhibition game, with two teams comprising of media personalities which set the tempo for what is to be expected throughout the season. The game ended 5-3 in favour of the ‘White’ team.