MARC STAMP, STAR Writer

THE 2015 Tastee/Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Under-17 competition will kick off next Thursday, April 30 with a total sponsorship worth $2.33 million.

Title sponsor Tastee has contributed $1.75 million, while Kingston Wharves Limited put in $250,000 and Western Union donated $50,000. The remaining $200,000 of the total budget will be offset by KSAFA.

"When the new administration took office eight months ago, we gave the undertaking that in every sponsorship dollar we receive, the clubs will benefit. The Under-17s form a part of the age- group competitions that is important to the development of the sport," Stewart Stephenson, KSAFA president said at the launch yesterday.

national selectors

"This competition seeks to attract players who are preparing for the Manning Cup and daCosta Cup competitions. The competition also provides a pool from which our national selectors can identify emerging talent for our World Cup squad to Moscow, Russia in 2018," he said.

The 28 competing clubs will battle for a first prize money of $50,000, while the runners-up are guaranteed $40,000. The third and fourth placed teams will receive $30,000 and $20,000, respectively. Each club will also get $10,000 and the four zone winners will earn $7,500 each.

The competition will be played in four geographical zones in order to ease transportation costs for clubs. Each club will be presented with 20 jerseys with branded logos.

The league's organisers and sponsors will come up with criteria to select a player for each of the round competition set to end in June.

Tastee Limited marketing manager, Jamal Tugman, said his company is proud to support the KSAFA Under-17 competition.

"This our third year of sponsorship is testament to our commitment to youth development and sports as a vehicle for change," Tugman said.