Jamaica’s Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) is to reintroduce the All-DaCosta Cup/All-Manning Cup end-of-season match for the 2020 ISSA/Digicel Schoolboy football season.
The competition pits a selection of the best players from each competition for an end-of-season clash for a trophy and bragging rights over which section of the country produces the best high-school football talent.
However, interest waned over the years, resulting in the competition being suspended for between 10 and 15 years. In 2016, a selection of players from the two competitions played a match at St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS).
There were also failed attempts in 2012 and 2014 to resuscitate the competition.
However, according to ISSA, 2020 will mark the year when the competition makes a return to the schoolboy football calendar.
Keith Wellington, President of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) announced the decision at the ISSA/Schoolboy Football Presentation Ceremony at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston.
Mr Wellington said the decision to bring back the competition that pits a squad of the best players from the urban-based Manning Cup competition against from the rural DaCosta Cup competition was in response to demand.
There is a lot of interest from a lot of different places, from the schools, the students, even persons who you do not expect to have that sort of interest,” Mr Wellington said. “They have shown an interest and a willingness to support it.
No date would have been set yet but it would be about a week after the Olivier Shield, which is contested by the winners of the Manning and DaCosta Cup competitions.
The ISSA president believes bringing back the match will add value to the schoolboy football season.
“Definitely, and the way we want to do it, we want to have it not just to be a football game but an occasion to expose our best talent to college scouts who might be interested in getting some of these youngsters into club football for the January window,” Mr Wellington explained.
“It will be a little bit more than just a football game.”
Mr Wellington said the competition has not been played for between 10 and 15 years. However, in 2015 a selection from the two competitions played a match at St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS).
For this season’s competition, the only potential challenge would be the Caribbean Americas Soccer Association (CASA)/ Lauderdale Youth Classic Soccer Tournament in Florida but according to Mr Wellington.
“We would have been hindered by the end-of-season tournament in Florida but we have already made alternative arrangements where that is concerned,” he said.