Eating places of Jamaica (ROJ), by means of its flagship model KFC, is rising its funding within the Inter-Secondary College Sports activities Affiliation (ISSA) Schoolboy Soccer platform to JMD $20 million for the 2025 season.
The bundle, comprising $17 million in money and $3 million in meals, builds on the million dedicated in 2024 and displays the model’s continued position in growing younger soccer expertise throughout the island.
Andrei Roper, Advertising Supervisor at KFC Jamaica, mentioned the corporate is proud to strengthen its partnership with ISSA. “Every season, we see the drive and dedication these younger gamers deliver to the pitch. Our intention is to assist create an atmosphere that nurtures their progress, acknowledges their achievements, and conjures up them to achieve for the following degree in soccer and life.”
For the 2025 season, KFC’s sponsorship can even embody performance-based incentives that reward gamers and strengthen faculty’s soccer programmes. Each hat-trick scored by a participant within the Manning, Dacosta Cup or Champions Cup will earn $50,000 for the varsity’s soccer programme of that participant, together with $10,000 in KFC meal worth for the participant. As well as, the MVPs of the Manning Cup, DaCosta Cup, and Champions Cup will every safe $50,000 for his or her faculties and $25,000 in meal worth for themselves.
Followers can even be a part of the motion by means of KFC’s weekly “Match Rating Prediction” problem on KFC’s social media pages, with prizes together with Free KFC for per week for fortunate followers who accurately predict the rating of the highlight KFC schoolboy soccer match of the week.
For over a century, ISSA Schoolboy Soccer has been a cornerstone of Jamaica’s sporting and cultural calendar. The competitors has served as a platform the place younger males develop self-discipline, resilience, and teamwork, whereas gaining alternatives that reach effectively past the pitch.
“Schoolboy Soccer has been pivotal in shaping the non-public, social, {and professional} growth of many scholar athletes. Past the competitors itself, it opens doorways to scholarships, worldwide publicity, and even skilled careers in soccer,” shared Keith Wellington, President of ISSA.
The pathway from faculty competitions to worldwide arenas is effectively established – Dujuan “Whisper” Richards, the 2022 Manning Cup MVP, signed for Chelsea FC quickly after his standout season, whereas Kaheim Dixon, 2023 DaCosta Cup MVP, earned a contract with Charlton Athletic FC. Their journeys are reminders of how ISSA Schoolboy Soccer continues to showcase Jamaican expertise on the worldwide stage.
The match additionally brings folks collectively, strengthening faculty satisfaction and group spirit throughout the island. “There’s a robust bond between Jamaicans and their excessive faculties,” Wellington mentioned. “It’s this connection, and the rivalries it fuels, that makes Schoolboy Soccer so particular.”
“KFC’s assist permits us to ship a stronger competitors every year. Regardless of the challenges confronted by many company sponsors, KFC has expanded its sponsorship, and that can make an actual distinction within the lives of the hundreds of younger males who participate this season,” mentioned Wellington.
The 2025 ISSA Schoolboy Soccer season guarantees to deliver new vitality whereas persevering with cherished traditions, from the fierce rivalries to the tales of resilience that outline the competitors. Collectively, ISSA and KFC are making certain that Schoolboy Soccer stays the heartbeat of Jamaica’s sporting tradition.
