With the 2018 ISSA schoolboy football season already in high gear after just over a week of action, competition sponsors KFC already have a lot to be pleased about.

This, in light of the fact that funds have already been generated towards the company’s Add Hope initiative, which provides meals for needy children at the basic school and primary school level in Jamaica.

As was announced prior to the start of the season, Restaurants of Jamaica (ROJ), owners and operators of KFC in Jamaica, through Add Hope, will be donating $500 for every goal scored during the first round of the Manning and daCosta Cup competitions, towards the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s national school feeding programme.

Earlier this year, ROJ kicked off its Add Hope programme in Jamaica with a $4.5 million donation to the ministry, which was used to fund meals for more than 80,000 children across the country.

The ISSA schoolboy football season kicked off on September 8 with five-time defending Manning Cup champions Jamaica College and reigning daCosta Cup champions Rusea’s High seeking to maintain their hold on the respective trophies.

By the end of the first week of the schoolboy football season, ISSA reported that 289 goals had been scored.

“It’s been a great week for our Add Hope programme and we’re looking forward to more success as the schoolboy football season continues,” said Andrei Roper, brand manager for Restaurants of Jamaica.

“Last year, during the first round of the Manning Cup and daCosta Cup competitions, more than 2,000 goals were scored! I am very pleased with the results so far, as the opening week’s matches have really set a great tone for the season. You had teams like St George’s College knocking in seven goals in their opening match, Kingston College, who scored eight goals in their opener, St Elizabeth Technical who scored 10 goals in their first match and Excelsior High, who scored an amazing 11 goals in their first game!”

Roper added: “We are really pleased because we are seeing top quality schoolboy football and all the funds generated from the goals being scored are going to a really great cause. To know that for every goal scored in the first round, one less child will be at school hungry, is a very rewarding feeling, and the footballers themselves should also feel very proud in knowing that they are playing such a key role in making this happen.”

KFC’s initiative has been well received by sports enthusiasts and the schoolboy football fraternity. The initiative seeks to incorporate the students into a meaningful nation building activity while teaching the importance of social responsibility.

“I am so pleased to know that no matter how far a team goes in the competition, they have an opportunity to give back to their country,” said Linvern Wright, daCosta Cup chairman. “This teaches our boys that no matter how small their efforts might seem, they must strive to contribute to building our nation.”

The 2018 ISSA schoolboy football season will see 130 teams competing for six prestigious trophies and scoring goals to raise funds for a truly worthy cause — to feed students through KFC Jamaica’s Add Hope Initiative.