The first Digicel Jamaica Invitational football tournament to be held at Wespow Park on August 1 will add to the tapestry of football being played in the region as well as an international flavour, according to Linnel McLean, chairman of the Jamaica Football Federation Western Confederation.

“This tournament is an integral part of football landscape that we need at the national level,” McLean said at Thursday’s launch at the Jamaica Grandiosa hotel on Queens Drive.

“We do not have enough football tournaments with international flavour here,” McLean said, adding that while national teams hosted various qualifying tournaments from time to time, the tournament added “another option for international involvement at the senior level that don’t involve national teams but clubs teams that can impart some more to the football”.

Nine teams including three from the United States (Florida, Philadelphia and New York) will contest the one-day tournament that offers the winners $100,000 as well as the Maklin Peterkin Memorial trophy, named after the late treasurer of the St James Football Association.

Other awards will go to the player of the tournament, the top scorer and the most disciplined teams, the organisers also said.

Mayor of Montego Bay Councillor Glendon Harris called the venture “a worthwhile event… that will benefit Montego Bay tremendously”, while Mark Martin, sports marketing manager for Digicel promised “a special experience for the family”.

George Evans, chairman of the organising committee, said plans are already afoot to expand the event to two days next year. He said that six overseas teams have already made commitments to take part in the event.