Football in Jamaica

Football is the most popular sport in Jamaica. It was introduced to Jamaica by the British and quickly took hold. Other important sports in Jamaica include cricket, track and field, netball (for women), and the game of dominoes.

History

Roots of the game

The most reliable records available indicate that football was introduced in Jamaica towards the end of the 19th century and 1893 is listed as the year Jamaica formed its first football club. It immediatly found itself in competition with Cricket which had established earlier popular roots in the island. This may have been partly due to the climate, which suited cricket better.

The Jamaica Football Federation

:"Main article: Jamaica Football Federation"The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is the governing body of football in Jamaica. It was formed in 1910. It organises the men's and women's national teams and the Jamaican National Premier League. The current president of the JFF is Crenston Boxhill, the General Secretary is Burchell Gibson and the treasurer is Rudolph Speid.

The JFF joined FIFA and CONCACAF in 1962.

One of the major sucsesses of the JFF came when the Jamaica national football team qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. They did not progress beyond the first round, but managed to win their final group match against Japan, winning 2-1. They have also won the Caribbean Cup on three occasions.

League system

The Jamaican National Premier League is the highest level in Jamaican football.

Below this, the clubs are separated on geographical grounds. Dependent on which parish a club is located in, it is a member of a specific confederation.

*Clubs from the parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew are members of the Kingston and St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA).
*Clubs from the parishes of Clarendon, Manchester, St. Catherine and St. Elizabeth are members of the South Central Confederation.
*Clubs from the parishes of Portland, St. Ann, St. Mary and St. Thomas are members of the Eastern Confederation.
*Clubs from the parishes of Hanover, St. James, Trelawny and Westmoreland are members of the Western Confederation.

Each of these four confederations operates their own Super League and they represent the second level of Jamaican football.

The names of these four Super Leagues are:

*KSAFA Super League
*South Central Confederation Super League
*Eastern Confederation Super League
*Western Confederation Super League

The winners of these leagues play off against each other, home and away, with the top two teams replacing the bottom two teams relegated from the Premier League.

Teams relegated from the Premier League enter the Super League of the Confederation they belong to.

The third level of Jamaican football is organised by the parish football associations.

In the parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew, KSAFA has a third level league called the KSAFA Major League.

For the remaining 12 parishes, the third level of football is represented by a major league competition in each parish organised by the parish FA to give 13 third level leagues.

The champions of each parish are promoted to play in the super league of the confederation by right or by way off winning a play off against another parish champion(s) in the same confederation.

At the fourth level of Jamaican football, KSAFA is represented by the KSAFA Syd Bartlett League. The other parishes have a Division One league to give 13 fourth Level leagues.

Some parishes operate leagues at the fifth level.

Promotion and relegation rules between leagues can vary due to the geographic nature of the league system.

Cup system

:"Main article: Red Stripe Champions Cup"

Men's National team

Women's national team

Jamaican Football Clubs

External links

* [http://www.jamaicafootballfederation.com Jamaica Football Federation]