Organisers of the FLOW Super Cup have decided to name the most valuable player (MVP) awardof the tournament in honour of Dominic James, the St George’s College captain who died recently.

James is the only person to have won the FLOW Super Cup twice, having done so with Jamaica College in the inaugural year in 2014 and again last year with St George’s College.

FLOW’s Carlo Redwood, vice-president of marketing and television, made the announcement at the launch of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) FLOW Super Cup at the Spanish Court Hotel yesterday.

“The idea behind this award is to pay recognition to young Dominic James in a special way as he is the only player to have won both Super Cup trophies, the first with Jamaica College and the second with St George’s College. I am happy to announce that the Most Valuable Player in the 2016 ISSA/FLOW Super Cup tournament will receive the Dominic James MVP Award,” said Redwood.

“The winner of this trophy will also receive $100,000 in scholarship,” he added.

James died while representing St George’s College in their Manning Cup game against Excelsior High on September 20, when he collapsed on the field some two minutes into the game and died at the University Hospital of the West Indies while undergoing treatment.

The ISSA/FLOW Super Cup will have the drawing of the teams on October 19 and will kick off on October 21 across two venues in Kingston and Montego Bay.

Once again the winner will walk away with $1 million contested between the top 16 teams from both the Manning and daCosta Cup competitions.

The final of the rich FLOW Super Cup will be played on November 12 at the National Stadium.

In this the third year, there will be some new developments involving a ticketing system, a new Super Cup anthem, night matches and new sponsors as FLOW moves to bring the competition closer in line with standards and practices observed in international tournaments.

“Working with ISSA we think we have nearly perfected the formula. Super Cup allows the best high schools in the island, playing in the best possible conditions to produce the best quality football seen in the region at this level with a large fan base which continues to grow from year to year,” Redwood noted.

“Benefits like full kits including football boots for players and more which may seem small but are often burdensome from a cost perspective for struggling schools,” said Redwood.

“This is where corporate support is critical and for us Super Cup is a way for both us and ISSA to encourage increased investment by showcasing the best that schoolboy football has to offer,” he continued.

The tournament will be contested over four weekends dubbed the ‘Champions League of Schoolboy Football’. The winners of the eight daCosta Cup Inter-zone rounds will be pitted against the eight zone winners in the Manning Cup in a knockout format with games being played at three venues across the island — Sabina Park and the National Stadium in Kingston and the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Stephen Miller, FLOW’s sponsorship and events manager, outlined the new ticketing procedure and logistical elements for the 2016 competition, which will see tickets go on sale on October 7 and will not be sold at the venues, but instead at retail locations in Kingston, St Catherine and St James.

In the inaugural tournament in 2014, fans were basically allowed into the games free as long as they pulled tickets stubs from the

Jamaica Observer newspaper. Now, just like last year, patrons are being asked to contribute $500 for entry to George Headley and the North Stand at Sabina Park. The same price at Catherine Hall and Bleachers at the National Stadium, while it will cost $800 for the Grandstand.

“As organisers and major sponsors, we always want to deliver the best experience for both fans and the players at each Super Cup event,” said Miller.

“Over the past two years we spend time analysing our processes and other elements of delivery of Super Cup and of course in seeking to improve on them we will be making a few changes that we believe brings the tournament in line with international standards and methodologies,” he said.

Each team in the Super Cup will receive $25,000 for just qualifying and with every game won they increase their earnings and can earn up to a whopping $1m if they win the competition. Teams advancing to the quarter-finals will get an additional $50,000, while the four semi-finalists will each earn another $100,000. The two finalists will get $200,000 with the winner getting an additional $625,000, which will add up to the million-dollar prize and a brand new trophy.

The MVP award and the Golden Boot award will carry a cash component of $100,000 each.

In true Super Cup style, Miller also outlined a complete fan experience on match days inclusive of popular sound systems, DJs, recording artistes, dancers, along with tons of prizes and giveaways courtesy of the sponsors.