Youth football returns for KSAFA

After more than two years of no football because of COVID-19, the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association's (KSAFA) youth competitions return this weekend with the playing of the Valeo Championships.

The competition, which begins on Saturday and will run for 12-weeks, sees teams competing at the Under-13, Under-15, and Under-17 levels. Fifteen teams will contest the U13 and U15 competitions, while 13 teams will take part in the U17 tournament. The matches will be played at the Barbican Sports Complex and Constant Spring Sports Complex.

"I am elated because it has been over two years since any football has been played in the KSAFA leagues and we are starting out with the youth competition, and I want to say thanks to Valeo for coming on board with this tournament," KSAFA President Wayne Shaw said. "This will certainly help with development of football in Jamaica and that is why we are starting with the youth competitions."

Shaw said that the development of football in KSAFA has suffered because of the pandemic and he is disappointed that more clubs did not enter this year.

"This is our inaugural competition but not all the clubs in KSAFA bought into it, but come next year, I expect all the KSAFA clubs to participate in this league," he said. "However, we are expecting some exciting football over the next 12-weeks because the players are very enthused about this competition. The clubs have been training and they are glad to be back on the field of play."

Shaw says that this will segue into the senior competitions set for later this year.

"I know that our senior players in KSAFA are very eager for their competitions to begin because they have been waiting very long, so we are doing everything that we can to ensure that we have these competitions very pretty soon," he said.