The Youth Football League (YFL) has officially launched its highly anticipated 2025 season with a bold lineup of tournaments and an exciting new partnership that signals continued growth for grassroots football in Jamaica. The new season will feature four flagship competitions, headlined by the debut of the Champions Cup—a high-intensity, invite-only showdown backed by the Pocket Rocket Foundation, founded by global sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
The YFL, now a cornerstone of youth development in Jamaican football, remains committed to using sport as a tool to balance competition, character-building, and academic growth among young athletes. For 2025, the league will stage the following signature tournaments:
Junior Cup All-Island Championship
NEXT Cup
Girlz Can Play Too Tournament
The Champions Cup (new addition)
The Champions Cup, set for June 21, will bring together the top four primary schools and top four preparatory schools from the 2024/2025 school competitions. The selected teams—Corinaldi Avenue Primary, McAuley Primary, Balmagie Primary, Spanish Town Primary, Hillel Academy, Sts. Peter and Paul Prep, Mona Prep, and Lannaman’s Prep—were officially announced during a press event at Funland Jamaica, which also featured a live quarterfinal draw.
The draw will see St Peter & Paul face Corinaldi Primary, Mona Prep take on McCauley Primary, Hillel Academy tackle Spanish Town Primary and Lannaman's go head to head with Balmagie Primary.
“This partnership with the Pocket Rocket Foundation is a major milestone for us,” said Paula Pinnock, Managing Director of FYI Consultancy Group and the YFL. “It’s the perfect alignment of two organizations committed to youth excellence—both on the field and in the classroom. The Champions Cup will no doubt be one of the most exciting youth tournaments Jamaica has seen.”
As part of the partnership, the MVP of the Champions Cup will receive an annual scholarship from the Pocket Rocket Foundation valued at JMD$100,000 per year, beginning in Grade 8 and continuing through high school graduation—pending the student maintains academic and behavioral standards.
“We are proud to support this initiative,” said Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, founder of the Pocket Rocket Foundation. “Our mission has always been about developing well-rounded student-athletes, and this partnership gives us another opportunity to invest in the future of young talent.”
The Champions Cup will be played in a 9v9 format, with shortened 45-minute matches across three action-packed rounds—quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals—all in one day. The format is designed to keep the competition fast-paced and thrilling, with teams vying not only for the trophy but the opportunity to showcase their skills on a national stage.
The YFL, organized by FYI Consultancy Group, has worked alongside key sporting bodies like the Jamaica Independent Schools’ Association (JISA) and the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) since 2013 to create meaningful football experiences for youth players across the island.
“FYI Consultancy Group has been a consistent and passionate advocate of football in schools since 2013,” said Wayne Robins, Chairman of the JISA Sports Committee. “The addition of the Champions Cup is a welcomed innovation that will give top teams a new level of competitive exposure.”
With a mission rooted in opportunity, gender equity, and academic balance, the Youth Football League continues to blaze a trail in youth sports development. And with the Pocket Rocket Foundation now in its corner, the future of Jamaican youth football looks even brighter.