St James Sandals/ATL Senior League kicks off
MONTEGO BAY, St James — A new era of football in St James will get underway this afternoon with the opening double-header of the St James FA Sandals/ATL Senior League at Jarrett Park, set to start at 4:00.
Promoted Reggae Youths, last season’s Division One champions, will face Little Miami, two-times beaten Senior League finalists, in the first game, before former champions Fogo United and North Gully Ambassadors meet in the 6:00 pm feature.
Both games will be preceded by an opening ceremony and dress parade.
Sandals are making their return to senior club football after their sponsorship of the St James FA and Hanover FA Under-17 and Under-20 leagues the past two years proved to be a success for all concerned.
Last season’s St James Under-17 champions Cornwall College went on to win the All-Island ISSA Under-16 competition after winning the Galloway Cup for western high schools and the Clement Radcliffe Cup for rural schools.
Sandals pledged just over $2 million for the St James FA senior League that will see 12 teams taking part and playing in two zones.
The teams will face each other in a home-and-away format for the first two rounds before a cross-zone third round, after which the top two teams from each zone will advance to the semi-finals.
St James FA’s president Gregory Daley told the Jamaica Observer at Tuesday’s media launch at Sandals Royal Caribbean that Friday night double-headers would be part of the initiative this season in the hopes of “bringing back the vibes to the game in St James”, and mentioned the success of the initiative in Kingston and St Andrew and St Catherine.
The St James FA was the first to introduce the initiative in the 1980s and 1990s under then president Wesmore Thomas, but subsequent executives moved away from the concept.
The zones will see in Zone A, Fogo United, North Gully Ambassadors, Melbourne FC, Violet Kickers, Granville City and Salt Spring United.
In Zone B will be Little Miami, Montego Bay Boys Club, Revelations, Rose Mount, Reggae Youths and Montego Bay United’s Under-21 team.
