The inaugural staging of the Yardie Sports Pediasure Youth Soccer Cup will take place today at Emmet Park, St George’s College starting at 9 a.m.

The tournament will feature games being played in three age groups under-8, under-11 and under-14. Teams from both clubs and academies have entered the tournament. They include Harbour View, Maverley, Norbrook Strikers, Genesis Academy, Emmanuel Christian Academy, Eagles Academy, Charlton’s Academy and St Andrew Technical High School.

Dwayne Richards of Yardie Sports, the man behind the tournament, explained the reasons for staging the event.

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic a lot of the children that played the game of football have found other distractions that have taken them away from the sport. It is very important that we return them to the field of play, not only to ensure that we re-establish the base of the sport in the country, but also to tackle the problem of youth obesity.

“We think it is important that our children rediscover the joy of playing football once again and as we begin summer in earnest, we thought it was a great time to get young players back on the field of play,” Richards said.

The tournament is a co-ed competition and girls will be allowed to play with the boys.

There will be a retreat line for the Under-8 category. This will allow defending teams a chance to have possession in their defensive third from a goal kick from which they can restart play without pressure. This is designed to allow teams to build out from the back and allow younger players to develop.

The event is being sponsored by Pediasure, Swiss, Tankweld, Recycling Partners of Jamaica, City Fusion, Jamagua and Hi-Lyte.