THE fourth staging of the Youth Football League’s Junior Cup is scheduled to kick off on October 4 at the Constant Spring field before moving to Kirkvine, Manchester, on October 11.

The all-island final round is to take place at Constant Spring with the top six teams vying for supremacy on October 18. Hillel Prep are the defending champions.

There will be over $500,000 in prizes on offer and the registration fee is $18,000. The competition will feature primary and prep schools — organisers say no club or academy is invited.

At the launch of the tournament held at the offices of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Paula Pinnock, managing director of the Youth Football League (YFL), noted that the competition is not just a celebration of football but a recognition of the power of sport to transform lives and build communities.

“The Youth Football league has grown into one of Jamaica’s premier grass roots initiatives, staging four tournaments annually; reaching children across Jamaica; and giving boys and girls the chance to play, learn and dream,” she said.

Pinnock, whose son Nugent Walker is a member of the winning Hillel team, said she travelled to Europe in the summer and saw first-hand the state-of-the-art facilities the kids are exposed to.

“That’s where the next EPL and LaLiga stars are being made,” she said.

“This is where the Reggae Boyz and Reggae Girlz should start — at the grass roots level — and exactly why this league exists, and why I am so delighted to be here [at JFF], in the home of football, this morning,” Pinnock added.

“Our tournaments are unique. The Junior Cup U-11 is co-ed — boys and girls playing together on the same field from primary to prep schools across Jamaica because we believe in equal opportunity and in starting early,” said Pinnock.

According to Pinnock, their commitment goes beyond medals and trophies as they will be investing in the schools, coaches and players.

“This is why Flow has stepped in a major way, providing all our trophies for all four tournaments this year, along with phones and credit for our winning coaches.

“Coaches are the backbone of this game and it is time we reward them for their efforts, and for the very first time our winning coach will also receive a token cash prize,” Pinnock noted.

Western Sports will be outfitting the top two finalists in the all-island championship while FYI Consultancy Group will be providing equipment gift vouchers for the winning school to replenish their sporting supplies, not necessarily in football but in any sport they choose.

Karl Tulloch of sponsor Kemtek was just happy to be a part of youth football once again.

“We had the pleasure of sharing partnership over the years and are extremely proud of the growth since the inception. As a company, we are passionate about youth and the positive impact sports can have on their development.

Football continues to be a medium for change of so many lives and has made many stars, and we recognise that this journey is not without financial obstacles and of such we are giving support as long as we can,” said Tulloch.

He continued: “I would like to encourage other companies to come on board and give assistance where they can”.

Western Sports is also on board, and representative Khalil Stephenson explained that when the players begin at this tender age, that’s when they start to dream.

“If you dream long enough, you can end up in the LaLiga, or Premier League, or wherever you want to be,” he reiterated.

“We just want you guys to have fun, play, and continue to learn, practise and play fair. Western Sports celebrates our 51st year and we support the Junior Cup in this, our second year,” said Stephenson.

“At Western Sports we are just happy to be a part of this,” he added.

JFF’s General Secretary Roy Simpson was on hand and he gave a tribute on behalf of the local governing body.

“Football is more than just on the field, it’s a holistic lifestyle discipline,” said Simpson, who played Manning Cup for St Jago High as a goalkeeper.

“As this league continues its journey I wish the organisers and the players the very best — and the JFF and the board of directors wholeheartedly endorse the football youth league,” said Simpson.

Once again, the MVP will be the recipient of the Pocket Rocket Foundation’s $100,000 scholarship, which was won by Damarie Palmer of Balmagie Primary last year. He is now at Glenmuir High.

According to Pinnock, the MVP must maintain a certain level of academic achievement to benefit from a $100,000 annual scholarship, from second form through to sixth form, so as to produce balanced student athletes, not just footballers.