New Manning Cup format adds intrigue to 2026 season
The ISSA schoolboy football season will begin on September 5, and another stellar season is in store with a welcomed new format to the competitions.
Schoolboy football actually started 115 years ago in 1909, with the Olivier Shield contested by schools from both the urban and rural areas.
The Shield was donated by the then Governor of Jamaica Sir Sydney Olivier, and was contested by five schools — Jamaica College (JC), St George’s College, Wolmer’s Boys, Cornwall College and Potsdam, now known as Munro College.
Jamaica College emerged as winners and won again in 1910. There was no competition in 1911, while St George’s won in 1912 and JC again in 1913.
Then things changed. In 1914 the then Governor of Jamaica Sir William Manning donated the Cup in his honour, now known as the Manning Cup. Unlike the then Olivier Shield, the Manning Cup would be contested only by schools from the urban area; hence, Cornwall College and Potsdam were ruled out.
Again, five schools contested – Wolmer’s Boys, Jamaica College, St George’s College, Calabar High and New College, which withdrew early.
Jamaica College won the inaugural tournament and went on to claim the first six titles, today standing atop the pile with 28 titles and not 31 as their first three titles were actually the Olivier Shield.
St George’s College broke JC’s dominance, winning in 1920 and becoming the second school to lift the Manning Cup. They have won it 21 times.
To date, 15 schools have won the Manning Cup, with Kingston College, founded in 1925, winning its first crown in 1949 and being the third most successful school with 17 titles. Wolmer’s Boys, which contested the inaugural tournament, are the fourth most successful with 10 crowns. They were the third school to lift the Manning Cup, having won their first title in 1923.
Excelsior High, founded in 1931, first won the Manning Cup in 1953 and became the sixth school to do so. They are sitting on eight titles.
Calabar High, founded in 1912, was the fourth winner in 1943 but only have three titles – 1943, 1977 and 2005. The other winners are Tivoli Gardens (1976, 1999), Camperdown High (1978, 1979), St Andrew Technical High School (1987) and Charlie Smith (1988, 1990 and 1995).
Norman Manley High was the 12th school to win the Manning Cup in 1996 and again in 2000 and 2002 for three titles. Bridgeport High has two crowns, winning in 2001 and 2006, and Mona High became the 15th school to win, having done so in 2023.
In 2026, 39 schools will contest the Manning Cup, with a new format that will see the top 16 seeded teams getting a bye into the second round. Twenty-three teams will be involved in the first round, split into three groups, with the top three from each group joining the 16 in the second round of 25 teams.
Will there be a new school added to the list of champions, or will the usual protagonists emerge victorious? Excelsior High are the defending champions.
