KSAFA to skip JFF’s tier two competition
Published:Monday | April 25, 2022 | 12:10 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
The Jamaica Football Federation’s (JFF) tier two competition is set to begin on May 28, and the competition will go ahead without the involvement of Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) teams.
KSAFA president Wayne Shaw insists that the competition, which will qualify teams to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), is not financially feasible for clubs at the parish level.
He also thinks the previous qualification system is much more affordable for clubs at the lower level.
“We have some concerns. It is going to be a costly competition, especially the cost of travelling from Kingston to all over the island.
“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic a lot of sponsors stopped sponsoring football, so when we looked at the budget to play in a tournament like this, it is going to cost some $9 million,and without sponsorship, it is not feasible for us. So we are going to watch it this year and see how it goes,” Shaw told The Gleaner.
He pointed out that KSAFA already had six teams in the Jamaica Premier League and that there was no harm in the other parishes getting an opportunity without the threat of a KSAFA club.
Shaw said the decision to skip this competition is fully supported by KSAFA delegates, who also agreed that the previous format, where the top teams from the four confederations would play off for two spots in the Premier League at the end of each season, was more practical.
FULLY SUPPORTED
“We voted on it, and it was decided and fully supported. We believe it is going to be a burden on the clubs financially.
“There was nothing wrong with the previous format we had for promotion. It was economically affordable for the parishes because they were not required to do a lot of travelling.
“Nothing was wrong with it, so I don’t see why we are changing it. We have tried this already with the A League competition. It was a failure.”
KSAFA and the JFF have long been in disagreement about a proposed restructuring of the country’s football. In 2020, KSAFA rejected a JFF-designed football restructuring proposal, citing it as “impractical”.
The proposal then included increasing the teams in the Premier League from 12 to 14, adding a second-tier professional league with 16 teams, with one from each parish to kick-start the competition in the 2020-2021 season and reducing the number of clubs in the island by more than 50 per cent.
All efforts to get a response from JFF competitions chairman Gregory Daley were unsuccessful.
In the opening round of tier two games, Faulkland play Reno, Falmouth take on Wadada, Albion face Hopewell, Tru Juice go up against Downs, Treasure Beach meet Portlanders, and Lime Hall Academy tackle Baptiste Alliance.
Chapleton Maroons will sit out round one.
The top four teams will move on to the semi-finals. The semi-final winners will advance to the final and book their spots in the JPL.