Jamaica Independent Schools Association (JISA) Sports Coordinator Winston Keyes says the island’s top prep school football competitions, The Alberga and Henriques cups, will be focusing heavily on player development and health.

The annual Under-12 football competition will kick off on Wednesday, October 18 with the Alberga Cup, while the Henriques Cup, the knockout competition, will begin in November.

This year’s edition will see participating schools play only two matches a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, unlike previous seasons where there were three.

“Coaches were saying they don’t have any time to make any corrections because it’s three days per week, so we listened and we also tried to put in enough time for recovery,” Keyes said.

However, Keyes says some schools may end up playing three matches a week if the rainy conditions force games to be called off or postponed.

“In our schedule, we still have a few days for ‘rain out’ days, so we are hoping that those days we put aside for those games can be played,” he said. “It’s a tight ship but we’re hoping we can get through it very easy this year.”

JISA will also stage the nine-a-side format introduced in 2022 instead of reverting to the typical 11-a-side, which he says has improved the quality of the competition.

“Throughout the years, there were complaints about the bundling and kicking and running on the field, so we changed it to nine-a-side, unlimited changes and you can see children trying to pass the ball,” he said. “So you find that some form of development is taking place and the competition is running in a much better way.

“Every year we are excited more and more, this year is no exception. We are feeling good about the competition and our coaches, executives, and sports committee are excited.”

Thirty-five schools have entered the competition this year with Lannaman’s looking to defend both the Alberga and Henriques cups titles.