THE ST. THOMAS Football Association's Captain Bakery Division One competition will get under way today with renewed drive after a sponsorship hike from the Captain Horace Burrell-owned franchise.
A 3:00 p.m. opening ceremony, followed by two games will highlight the start of the tournament.
At 4:00 p.m., SanStar are scheduled to play Heartease, while White Horses take on Danvers Pen at 6:00 p.m.
SPONSORSHIP
The $850,000 sponsorship that had been in place for the 2004/05 season has been increased to just over $1 million ($1,025,000).
Over $300,000 of that sponsorship is earmarked for referees, while the clubs will be the beneficiaries of $200,000 in a bid to assist with preparations for the competition.
The 10 teams in the competition will, therefore, receive $15,000 each in addition to four match balls, with the St. Thomas FA receiving 10 match balls of their own.
The new allotment of money to the referees fees means that the clubs will now be free of the burden of paying fees to the officials this season.
The objective of the subsidy, according to Captain Burrell, is to provide room for the clubs to grow, which is a necessary ingredient for the development of the sport of football in the communities and ultimately the parish.
The winner of the league will earn $100,000, while the second place team will get $60,000.
The third and fourth place teams will earn $30,000 and $20,000 respectively.
In search of the prizes, the teams will play on a home and away basis, over two rounds.
The top two teams at the end of the first round will play in the mid-season final while the top four (4) teams at the end of the second round will compete in the semi-finals.
