JASON McKay has described York Football Club’s qualification for next season’s Jamaica Football Championship (JFC) as one of the most satisfying sporting investments made by his company, McKay Security, which provided $5.1 million in sponsorship to football in St Thomas.

York became the parish’s second club in the JFC, joining Baptist Alliance.

“To have an instant return in a matter of months makes me extremely happy to see a parish like St Thomas, which only needed some help, now having two teams in the JFC, which has been dominated by clubs from the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA),” McKay said.

“Not only did York qualify, [but] they [also] advanced as St Thomas Major League winners and topped their JFC qualifying group ahead of St Catherine’s Cedar Grove and KSAFA’s August Town, the two strongest football parishes in the country,” he said.

McKay said he wants the JFC to be more representative of a national second-tier competition rather than one dominated by clubs from KSAFA and St Catherine. He said he hopes the promotion of teams such as King’s Academy of St Ann and York will encourage other clubs.

McKay Security also sponsors the St Mary Football Association, whose representative, Axum, failed to qualify after losing to King’s Academy in the group stage. However, McKay said King’s promotion meant another club from outside KSAFA and St Catherine had earned a place in the JFC.

“A stronger St Mary will have their chance next season to join King’s as qualifiers from that region,” he said.

KSAFA’s Harbour View and St Catherine Police were relegated to the JFC for next season.

McKay said newcomers such as York and King’s Academy will have to strengthen their squads quickly to avoid being one-season teams.

“St Thomas’ Baptist Alliance have been in the JFC for a while, so York need to ensure they keep their heads above water against these experienced teams. McKay Security will continue to sponsor the St Thomas FA, especially the Under-17 league from which new talent is expected to help feed the parish’s senior teams,” he said.

York completed a historic treble, adding the inaugural McKay Security St Thomas Under-17 title to the St Thomas Major League crown and the South East regional play-off title, which secured their place in the JFC.

St Thomas Football Association President Lascelles Logan said attracting sponsorship remains central to the association’s plans to develop football in the parish.

“McKay Security’s sponsorship played a big role in eastern St Thomas having York in the JFC, joining Baptist Alliance from the west as Premier League prospects. York showed that we can conquer the powerhouses. With both teams in the JFC, I am on the hunt for more sponsorship.

“We are always seeking sponsorship. However, we need more entities from the parish to assist the clubs. McKay Security is from outside the parish, so too Soccer Xpress, which now owns York. They could have easily spent its money in KSAFA but decided to help St Thomas,” Logan said.

MCKAY… to have an instant return in a matter of months makes me extremely happy