DUANVALE captured the Trelawny regional title in the Youth Football League (YFL) Junior Cup Under-11 competition with a 6-1 win over Hague at William Knibb Memorial High School on Saturday, October 3.

Ten schools competed in the tournament: Clarks Town, Duanvale, John Rollins Success, Duncans, Kinloss, Falmouth, Wakefield, Waldensia, Granville and Hague.

Duanvale, Hague, Clarks Town and Kinloss advanced to the semi-finals and secured places in the All-Island Championship at the UWI Mona Bowl on October 24. Duanvale came from two goals down to beat Clarks Town 3-2 while Hague also rallied to defeat Kinloss 2-1 in the semi-finals.

Trelawny Northern Member of Parliament and Tourism state minister Tova Hamilton joined the trophy presentation to celebrate the young players and recognise the winners. William Knibb Memorial High hosted the tournament, with Dwight Jeremiah, head coach of the school’s football team and a Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) representative, playing a key role in bringing the competition to the parish.

“Having worked with FYI during their hurricane relief efforts in Trelawny, we were happy to assist in hosting the Junior Cup at William Knibb. As a JFF representative and the school’s head coach, I value this opportunity for grass roots development.

Despite the hurricane’s continuing impact on schools and communities, it is important to keep football going and give our children opportunities to play,” Jeremiah said. Organised by FYI Consultancy Group, the YFL aims to expand access to organised youth football, allowing more children to develop their skills while learning respect, discipline and fair play.

“Every school helped make this a special day. Beyond the results, it was about giving children the opportunity to play, build confidence, and enjoy representing their school.

We thank Principal Linvern Wright and the William Knibb team for welcoming us; and the coaches, parents and supporters who made the children’s participation possible. We look forward to taking that same energy to St Catherine this weekend,” said Paula Pinnock, managing director of FYI Consultancy Group.

The St Catherine regional is scheduled for Saturday, October 10, at Ferdie Neita Park, home of Portmore FC. The Kingston regional follows at the UWI Mona Bowl on October 17, ahead of the All- Island Championship at the same venue on October 24.

The top four schools from each regional will advance to the All-Island Championship during which teams from the participating regions will compete for the Junior Cup title. Schools can register for upcoming regionals at youthfootballleagueja.com.