ISSA meeting leaves optimism over schoolboy football restart
Published:Tuesday | November 11, 2025 | 1:12 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
THE 2025 schoolboy football season could resume as early as next week, Gleaner sources close to the meeting between the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) and coaches on the weekend revealed.
It is understood that some coaches wanted the competition to restart as early as the 13th, but agreed with ISSA to push the restart date by about a week to allow schools severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa an opportunity to reorganise themselves for the resumption.
Clarendon College coach Devon Anderson noted that a date was not reached, but that he left the meeting optimistic.
However, he pointed that another meeting was due today with other stakeholders, after which a decision is expected.
“I think we are about to start. But a decision has to be made tomorrow (today), regarding stakeholders continuing the competition.
“ISSA heard our opinion. And it is not bulletproof that the competitions will start back. But things are looking that way,” he stated.
ISSA President Keith Wellington said discussions were still ongoing, but that they expect to come to a decision before the end of the week.
“Can’t have a discussion on that (restart) just now,” he told The Gleaner. “We are still in the middle of the process. Give us a few days.”
Both the Manning and daCosta Cup seasons came to a grinding halt just before the start of the round of 16 for both competitions, due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28.
It is expected that both competitions, along with the respective knockouts, the Walker Cup and Ben Francis Cup, will also be contested, with the schoolboy football season to conclude in mid-December.
The ISSA President’s Cup still hangs in the balance. But if that competition is to be played, it will be in January.
The decision regarding the playing of the under-14 (Pepsi) and under-16 (Colts) competitions is also still being deliberated on.