KSAFA teams to again vie for JPL spots
Published:Saturday | October 28, 2023 | 12:07 AM
THE WINNER of this year’s Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Championship League will be allowed to vie for promotion to the National Premier League (NPL) next season.
Further, a new sponsorship deal between KSAFA and J. Wray and Nephew will mean significantly increased prize money for the winners of both the championship and the Division One Major League competitions.
KSAFA is the administrative body for the sport in Kingston and St Andrew.
Teams that fall under KSAFA voted in 2019 to discontinue their participation in the Jamaica Football Federation’s (JFF) tier-two competition, the format used to earn qualification for the country’s top football league.
The JFF is the governing body for the sport nationally.
However, Mark Bennett, president of KSAFA, said a majority of Corporate Area teams voted during a meeting last Saturday to slightly alter their stance. Over 30 teams attended the KSAFA congress, he said.
“They voted for the winner [of the KSAFA Championship] to participate in the 2024-2025 season of the tier-two competition,” Bennett said during an interview with The Gleaner on Friday.
WINNER ENDORSEMENT
“The association will endorse the winner to participate, but if the winner decides that they do not want to participate or cannot participate, no sanction will be applied to that team and the offer will be made to the runner-up.”
No other team will be endorsed by KSAFA to join the tier-two competition, the KSAFA boss insisted.
The KSAFA Championship League, which replaced the Super League three seasons ago, and the Major League are set to get under way on November 24 and 25 respectively, Bennett disclosed.
Bennett declined to disclose details of the three-year deal with J. Wray and Nephew, but described it as “significant”.
“If they desire to participate in the tier-two, the prize for the winner [of the championship league] will be a very princely sum. The winning incentive will be very princely,” he insisted.
“I won’t be able to say anything definitive right now because I have not gotten the contract in my hand as yet, but we have a general agreement with our sponsor and out of that we have made provisions for the winner to receive a very handsome prize.”
Bennett noted that the prize money for the winner of the Major League “won’t be at the same level”, but said the champions will also walk away with a “substantial reward”.
“It is significantly more than last year.”
Thirteen teams, one more than last year, are seeking to become champions of the Corporate Area in both competitions.
“We will be using the league format this year where all teams play each other so we will have an increase in the number of games. Last year, we played a maximum of 10 games, so we are looking to play 22 games this year,” Bennett disclosed.
The top four teams will advance to the semi-final round play-off. There will also be a mid-season final.