Gregory Jones, the organiser of this year’s fifth staging of the Super Cup youth football tournament, is anticipating an exciting tournament this weekend.

The tournament, which has attracted 74 of the best youth teams from across the island, will be held at The University of the West Indies Mona Bowl, March 9-10. The highly anticipated event will feature teams competing in Under-7, Under-8, Under-9, Under-10, Under-11, Under-12, Under-13, Under-15, and Under-17 competitions, respectively.

Jones said that the build-up to the tournament has been excellent, and all the teams are looking forward to a very entertaining championship. “I am feeling very positive about this tournament because the response has been good, and feedback is excellent, and it has been oversubscribed,” said Jones.

“We have quite a number of quality teams, including Mount Pleasant Academy, Harbour View, Ballaz, Emmanuel Christian Academy, and Norbrook Strikers, along with other good teams and clubs participating in this tournament this weekend. So, we are feeling very positive,” he added.

Jones highlighted that the tournament plays a critical role in the development of youth football in Jamaica and therefore, his organisation will be pulling out all the stops to ensure this year’s event is a success.

“The youngsters are excited because this is the biggest tournament in Kingston, and everyone is looking forward to it. The youngsters are training hard for it,” he asserted. “It is grass roots, and we want to keep youths playing in a competitive environment because we have excellent referees, providing an atmosphere for them to do well,” Jones added.

“Over the last three years, we have seen the standards of the players lift significantly, and this year, we have introduced what we call the buildout line. The Under-9 to-12 teams are not allowed to kick the ball out; they have to play out from the back,” Jones underscored.