President of Real Mona FC, Peter Moses (left) alongside KSAFA President Mark Bennett (middle) and J Wray & Nephew Public Relations and Communications Manager Dominic Bell (right).
Jamaica’s preferred rum, Wray & Nephew, is partnering with the Kingston & St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) as sponsors of their upcoming KSAFA Major League and Championship seasons.
The pair announced the union at a press conference on Tuesday at the Wray & Nephew headquarters in Kingston.
The KSAFA Wray & Nephew Major League will consist of twelve teams divided into two zones of six.
At the end of the preliminary round, the top four teams from each zone will advance to the quarterfinal knockout round. The two finalists in the Major League will advance to next season’s KSAFA Championship.
The teams participating in the KSAFA Wray & Nephew Major League are Allman Woodward FC, August Town FC, Bull Bay FC, Cooreville Gardens FC, Duhaney Park FC, Maxfield Park FC, New Kingston FC, Pembroke Hall FC, Police Nation FC, Red Hills FC, Rockfort FC and Seaview Gardens FC.
The KSAFA Wray & Nephew Championship will also feature 12 teams but in a league format where all teams will play each other home and away.
At the end of the preliminary round, the top four teams will advance to the semi-final knockout round. The winner of the KSAFA Wray & Nephew Championship will be allowed to participate in the JFF Tier two competition should they wish to do so for a chance to earn promotion to the Jamaica Premier League.
The teams participating in the KSAFA Wray & Nephew Championship are Barbican FC, Boys Town FC, Browns Town FC, Central Kingston, Constant Spring FC, Liguanea United, JDF FC, Mavarley Hughenden, Olympic Gardens FC, Real Mona FC, Santos FC and Shortwood FC.
“I want to thank Wray & Nephew for coming on board. The sponsorship this year is quite a step up to what we had last year, truth be told. For the first time in the history of KSAFA, the winner of the Championship will receive $1 million,” says KSAFA President Mark Bennett.
“This sponsorship is a significant moment in our history. We no longer view sponsorship as support or a social investment, really; it is that and more! It speaks to the confidence the organization has in KSAFA,” he added.
“Today, Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum charts a new course with the Kingston & St. Andrew Football Association,” said J Wray & Nephew Public Relations and Communications Manager Dominic Bell.
“This partnership is another signal of our consistent support of sports and wider culture throughout the island. Football is one of Jamaica’s most beloved pastimes and is one of the most popular sports at the professional level. It has an organic relationship with our communities and the KSAFA leagues are a testament to this,” Bell added.
Action in both competitions gets underway this weekend.
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
Hurtig the hero after late goal sends Arsenal into Champions League quarters
Lina Hurtig's 89th minute winner ensured Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League after edging Juventus 1-0 on Thursday.
After being frustrated for large parts of the encounter, Hurtig bundled home from close range after Martina Lenzini's poor clearance to book the Gunners' place in the last eight.
Despite Arsenal dominating the early exchanges, it was Juventus who had the first sight of goal, though Eva Schatzer's effort was easy for Daphne van Domselaar to gather.
In a first half that saw just two shots on target, both coming from the visitors, Renee Slegers' substitutes proved to be the difference for Arsenal.
Slegers introduced Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius and Hurtig late on, with the latter somehow putting Kim Little's cross over the bar from five yards out.
However, the Swede would atone for her earlier error, combining with fellow substitute Blackstenius to net against her former club and send them out of the competition with two group games remaining.
Meanwhile, in Group D, Barcelona edged closer to the quarter-finals of the competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over St. Polten at the Generali Arena.
The reigning champions are still three points behind Manchester City following their 2-1 win over Hammarby, and know a win against the Swedes next month will see them progress.
Kika Nazareth opened the scoring in the 20th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Kamila Dubcova, notching her second nine minutes later from close range.
Barca found themselves three goals up at the break when Vicky Lopez netted her first goal in the competition to put the result beyond doubt.
There was also a landmark moment for Alexia Putellas, who netted her 200th goal for the club with a well-taken effort into the far corner.
Valentina Madl took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display from the visitors, who have now taken their tally to 20 goals from their four matches in the competition.
Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City
Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.
Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.
“Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.
“That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.
“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.
“Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.
That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.
He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.
Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League
Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.
Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they finished in the top two.
Shaw—the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals—put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.
Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.
The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick.
That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.
In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.
Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.
Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.
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