24 youth sides set for Milo Jamaica Challenge Cup at UWI Mona Bowl

Twenty-four community football sides from across Jamaica will contest the one-day Milo Jamaica Challenge Cup on Saturday at the UWI Mona Bowl, with kick-off set for 8:00 a.m.

Keston Quow, senior consumer marketing manager at Milo, and Shauna-Lee Miller, nutrition science manager, arrived from Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday. CVM Sports spoke with both, together with event organiser Dwayne Dillon, ahead of the tournament.

Quow said the competition is meant to involve children aged seven to 12 at grassroots level in communities across the island. He linked the effort to Milo’s core messages of teamwork, resilience and hard work, and described the drink as fuel that helps youngsters push on. Calling the Jamaica staging historic, he said the brand wants to meet children at the right age and lift them toward the next stage of their sporting journey.

He noted that Trinidad and Jamaica advanced in a related developmental pathway and argued that building sport in the Caribbean must begin with young players, not only senior football. With Milo already invested in that age group and closely aligned with the game, Quow cast the Jamaica event as a step from past programmes toward a wider regional plan. A similar tournament in Trinidad was a major success, he said, and Trinidad and Jamaica remain the brand’s two largest markets. Medium- to long-term aims include rolling out the same format across Caribbean countries and, eventually, a championship that brings those national events together.

Dillon said Saturday at the UWI Mona Bowl will be a full day of activity for the 24 sides, drawn from as far east as St. Thomas and as far west as Trelawny. Capacity is fixed at that number for now. The focus, he said, is on children playing football, enjoying themselves, continuing their development and having a strong day out.

Miller said the Jamaica Red Cross will be on site to handle any medical needs. A sports nutrition clinic staffed by trained nutritionists and dietitians will also run during the event, advising children on healthy eating, pairing sport with a proper diet, eating more fruit, vegetables and local foods, and guiding parents on consumption habits.