David “Big Hair” Brisacher of The Dubplates is not ashamed to say he has zero football skills, but loves the game, especially when he is hanging out with longtime friend Ky-Mani Marley at matches. Both are organisers of the Maestro Marley Cup which takes place at ArtsPark in Hollywood, South Florida on September 2.

It is the third staging of the day-long event which was first held in 2018 in Charleston, South Carolina, Big Hair’s hometown. Although he is more into surfing, the dreadlocked singjay has been involved with the event since day one.

“It’s an amazing experience, you get to enjoy all sorts of stuff. It’s a mixture of celebrity, players and mayors from Broward County, there are all sorts of options,” Big Hair told OBSERVER ONLINE.

This is the second straight year Maestro Marley Cup will be held in South Florida. Its inaugural staging featured United Soccer League team Charleston Battery playing Falmouth United, a team sponsored by Ky-Mani Marley, who is from Falmouth, Trelawny.

Ten teams will participate in the six-a-side tournament with the winner receiving US$1,000.

Jamaican culture also takes the spotlight with booth displaying food and art, while the day closes with performances from Ky-Mani and his brothers, Stephen, Damian and Julian, as well as The Dubplates, Inner Circle and Spanish band, Locos Por Juana.

Big Hair said he first met Ky-Mani at Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay in 2002, but their friendship has grown over the last eight years through similar tastes in music. He credits the reggae singer for helping him appreciate football, while Big Hair has returned the favour by getting him interested in surfing.

An original member of The Dubplates which formed in 2002, Big Hair describes the multi-member band’s sound as “dancehall/reggae with a ‘90s feel”. Box Full of Steel, released in 2017, is their most successful album to date, topping the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart that year.

Football is a longtime passion of the Marleys. Reggae legend Bob Marley, patriarch of the family, loved the game and played recreationally at home in Jamaica or while on tour.

Howard Campbell