NewzTHE Youth Football League (YFL) will begin its fifth season with the 2026 Junior Cup, strengthened by the continued support of the Usain Bolt Foundation and the addition of the YO Sports and Arts Foundation. The Usain Bolt Foundation is not new to the YFL family, having supported the league’s initiatives for several years. Through the Foundation’s partnership with Puma, YFL has also received football gear and equipment to support participating teams, prizes and match-day execution.
“We are extremely proud to continue our relationship with the Usain Bolt Foundation and to welcome the YO Sports and Arts Foundation,” said Paula Pinnock, Managing Director of the Youth Football League. “Having foundations that understand the importance of investing in young people represents a major victory for the YFL and the children we serve.” Omar McFarlane of the YO Sports and Arts Foundation underscored the importance of investing in youth football. “Grass-roots football is not only where talent is discovered — it’s where character is built.
If we invest in our youth at the grassroots, we don’t just build better footballers, we build a better Jamaica.” YFL’s work with charitable foundations reflects the league’s commitment to combining sporting development with education to help create more well-rounded young people. In 2025, the Pocket Rocket Foundation partnered with YFL to provide a football scholarship to the Most Valuable Player of the Champions Cup. That initiative demonstrated how partnerships can extend beyond match-day competition to create meaningful opportunities for young student-athletes.
“Our focus is not only on developing better footballers,” Pinnock said. “We want to use sport alongside education to develop disciplined, confident and well-rounded individuals. Working with foundations that share this vision allows us to create a greater and more lasting impact.” The Junior Cup is to begin on Saturday, October 3, at William Knibb High School in Trelawny.
It will continue at Ferdie Neita Park in St Catherine on October 10 before moving to the UWI Mona Bowl for the Kingston and St Andrew leg on October 17. The Trelawny staging forms part of YFL’s commitment to making the Junior Cup more inclusive and accessible to schools across Western Jamaica. Primary and preparatory schools from Trelawny, Hanover, St James and other western parishes are being invited to par…
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