Kings FA win northeast futsal scrimmage crown in St. Ann

Kings FA opened the Jamaica Futsal and Scrimmage National Tournament with the northeast regional crown, defeating Lime Hall on penalties after a tense final at Legacy 5 Turf in Belair, St. Ann.

The inaugural regional tournament brought together six teams from the JFF northeastern confederation, covering Portland, St. Mary and St. Ann. In Zone A, St. Ann’s Kings FA began with a 7-1 win over East Coast Ballers. Samba Elite later beat East Coast Ballers 3-1, but Kings FA secured the group by defeating Samba Elite 5-3 to move into the championship match.

Zone B was also competitive. Wasted Futsal started strongly with a 7-3 victory over Madras, then lost 4-2 to Lime Hall. Lime Hall followed up by beating Madras 4-1, which sent them through to face Kings FA in the final.

The decider produced the closest match of the day. Kings FA and Lime Hall were level 3-3 at full time, and neither side could pull away in extra time, which ended 4-4. The shootout remained tight as well, with both teams locked at 2-2 after the regulation three penalties. Kings FA finally edged the contest 3-2 in sudden death to take the title.

A Kings FA representative said the final was an entertaining contest that could have been won by either team, noting the repeated changes in momentum through regulation time, extra time and penalties.

Sanjay Anderson of Kings FA was named both the tournament’s top scorer and best goalkeeper. Organisers said they were satisfied with the standard of play and the staging of the first event.

One organiser said the aim is to restart futsal across Jamaica, with each parish expected to host its own competition. The plan for next year is to establish a Jamaica futsal Premier League, drawing teams from each region into selected groups alongside existing Premier League teams.

The second regional tournament is scheduled for Saturday at Bayside Field at Club Turf in Freeport, Montego Bay, starting at 1:00 p.m.