THE inaugural staging of the Reinas Cup nears its conclusion with the playing of the first-leg semi-finals today at Campion College.

The Reinas Cup is an under-20 football competition for female football academy players. The league is solely for academy players and not extended to clubs.

Conceptualiser and founder of Reinas Academy (Jamaica’s first all-female football academy), Neo Oxford explained why he chose to host such a competition this year.

“Reinas Cup was conceptualised as a vehicle to help our young female footballers to be able to showcase their skills and prepare them for that next step.

“Being the first of its kind, the Reinas Cup is an U-20 tournament that will be played in the summer to ensure that girls not just get the opportunity to play, but also prepare them for moves to colleges overseas.

“This season alone, nine players from around the tournament have departed to schools overseas,” he boasted.

Oxford believes that there is support for growth and development of the women’s game on the island

“Contrary to popular belief, there are several corporate entities that believe in the development of the game and what the Reinas Cup stands for.

“Our title sponsors, Issa Construction must take credit for believing and trusting in our vision. We also have as sponsors ConserveIt, Sports Of Jamaica, Yardie Sports, gear provider Top Rock Sports Ware, and Jamaica Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Limited,” he outlined.

The tournament, which began in June and will end in August, has truly been a breath of fresh air for Jamaica’s female football programme.

Several participants in the Reinas Cup represented Jamaica in the Concacaf U-15 tournament played in Florida recently.

“In a time when the sport has literally been dormant, our national U-15 team travelled to Florida. Eighteen girls were selected to play for Jamaica and of the 14 local players, 9 were active[ly] participating in the Reinas Cup,” he revealed.

Oxford, who is the son of Kingston College legend and former national player Neville Oxford, explained why there will be a two-legged semi-final round.

“The semi-final will have two legs, not to draw out the league but to ensure the young ladies play as much football as possible.”

In the first game at 2 pm Next Gen Academy (St Catherine), who finished second in the league, take on Reinas Academy (who finished third). The teams have played each other twice so far, with both having a win each.

The second match set for 4 pm will feature league winners BayLynx Academy (Clarendon) taking on Kingston Football Academy (KFA) who beat Ballaz Academy 5-4 on penalties in a play-off to advance to the semi-finals.

BayLynx and KFA have played twice this season, with BayLynx winning both encounters.