Youth football fiesta: Victory Cup on at Mona Bowl this weekend

The annual Grace Mighty Malt Victory Cup youth football tournament takes place this weekend at the Mona Bowl, UWI.

At the launch of the 2026 tournament at the GraceKennedy building on Wednesday, Gregory Jones, CEO of Pronation Sports, organisers of the tournament and many other youth leagues across the island, revealed that his vision is to give young aspiring Jamaican footballers the opportunity to play the game year round.

“Before Pronation, we had football being played for three to four months of the year, after December, there was no football.

“In the United States and Europe, they play football for 10 months of the year. How are we going to compete if we only play three to four months? Why can’t we have something here that can expose our boys and girls to football throughout the year?” Jones said.

After starting with 30 teams in 2019, the tournament has grown to comprise over 90 teams this weekend, and Kristina Hall of Grace Foods emphasised its remarkable growth in just a few years.

“This year’s staging is expected to be the largest yet. We have outgrown Caymanas (former venue). We will have more than 90 teams, 15,000 boys and girls, and the remarkable growth speaks for itself.

“From just 30 teams when they just started to 84 teams and now 90 this year, the Victory Cup has become one of Jamaica’s premier youth football competitions,” she stated.

The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), through its operations manager, Omar McFarlane, endorsed the tournament, calling it the biggest in the region.

“The JFF congratulates Pronation Sports and everyone behind the Grace Mighty Malt Victory Cup, the Caribbean’s largest youth football tournament.

“More than 90 teams from across the region coming together in one celebration of talent and competition, exactly the type of platform our young players need,” he said.

The tournament will get under way at 8 a.m. on each of the two days, with competitions for under-8 to under-17 boys’ teams, plus an under-16 girls’ tournament.

Group games will take place tomorrow, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals on Sunday.

Top coach for 2025, Raymond Leverage of Total Football Academy, said this is where it all begins for the youngsters.

“Grassroots football is where everything begins. If Jamaica wants to compete consistently at a high level, then we must continue to invest in and support grassroot programmes.

“Talent alone is not enough. It takes money, patience and mentorship, and that is why tournaments like the Victory Cup are so important,” he said.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com