SCFA under-20 kicks off on Saturday, opening ceremony abandoned
President of the St Catherine Football Association ( SCFA), Elaine Walker-Brown, says plans to kick-start the under-20 season with an opening ceremony had to be abandoned because of the gang violence affecting the parish and the subsequent state of public emergency imposed by the Government.
“We will not have an opening ceremony because we do not want to have a big gathering,” Walker-Brown said.
The SCFA under-20 season will kick off on Saturday with games in several zones, but Walker-Brown said the security situation has forced them to make several changes to the venues for matches.
She pointed out that specific venues have been selected so games are contested in a safe environment and the SCFA has been working closely with the police to earmark safe areas and venues.
“We specifically chose certain venues and we are working closely with the police. We will not be playing games in some areas.
“We have identified all the fields and we have written to the police high command and attached fixtures for the games,” she noted.
Meanwhile, Walker-Brown said they usually complete this competition by early August, so players involved in schoolboy football training camps over the summer can focus on that preparation.
“It will be a short tournament. We are scheduled to finish at the end of July. We met with the clubs and discussed the issue of boys going into summer camps for the Manning and daCosta Cup competitions,” she said.
The SCFA boss said they do not want to hamper the summer camps so they will kick off this competition, finish it and then allow the players to focus on their preparations for the Manning and daCosta Cup.
She added that the SCFA under-20 will be a great opportunity for clubs to see where they are post-pandemic.
“We are just coming back from the COVID-19 pandemic and clubs are trying to reorganise. They have an opportunity to see where they are and they are so enthused and really looking forward to it,” she said.
Although the final fixtures are still not out, Zone A will consist of Beacon Hill, Caymanas, Cumberland, DB Basovak, Federal, Racing United, Spanish Town Police and Tryall Gardens.
Zone B: Albion, Frasers Whip, Greater Portmore, Marchelette, Portmore, Rivoli and Westchester.
Zone C: Dela Vega City, Portmore Portals, Royal Lakes, McCook’s Pen, Newland, Old Harbour, Edgewater and Windsor Lions.
Zone D: Black Lion, Marcus Garvey, Tru-Juice, Knollis, Benbow United and Eltham Park.