New guidelines for 2016/17 schoolboy football season

The 2016 ISSA/FLOW schoolboy football season, set to kick-off on September 10, was launched on Thursday morning in Kingston.

Over 50 matches will be played on the opening day of the new season with defending Manning Cup champions and the current holders of the Olivier Shield Jamaica College taking on St Andrew Technical High.

Defending champions of the DaCosta and Ben Francis Cups St Elizabeth Technical will also be in action against Black River High in the second double-header at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

But at Thurday’s launch it was the new clearing house regime which attracted most of the attention. Under the regime, all transfers involving student athletes must go through the clearing house at ISSA.

Documents from the school the student is coming from and heading to must first be presented to the Ministry of Education.

In an effort to close a loophole which emerged last season ISSA says a player who receives a red card must miss the next match his school plays regardless of the competition. Water breaks will also now be allowed midway each half.