The Lynk Cup is an annual knockout competition held for football clubs of

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. Established to promote and celebrate the diversity and depth of soccer talent in the country. The competition holds all the soccer teams in the Jamaican Premier League, along with 10 selected teams from the Jamaican Football Federation's Tier 2.

Overview

The Lynk Cup, first introduced in 2022, is organized by the

Jamaica Football Federation The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is the governing body of football in Jamaica and is in charge of the Jamaica national football team and the Jamaican football league system, including the Jamaica Premier League. History Early history ( ...

(JFF) in collaboration with Lynk Jamaica. It replaces the JFF Champions Cup last held in 2014. The tournament is sponsored by Lynk, a prominent mobile payment company, supporting sports and community development in Jamaica. This competition serves as a platform for emerging talent to shine while allowing the established Premier League teams to fine-tune their skills in a competitive environment.

Participating teams

The Lynk Cup brings together a total of 24 teams, all 14 teams from the National Premier League and an additional 10 teams from the JFF Tier 2. The inclusion of Tier 2 teams was designed to provide an opportunity for these clubs to showcase their abilities against stronger and more experienced opposition.

Format

The Lynk Cup follows a knockout format, where teams are eliminated from the competition upon losing their match. The matches are typically played over 2 legs with the winner on aggregate, advancing to the next round. In the final, a single leg is played and the champion is crowned. The knockout stage consists of multiple rounds including, the Round of 24, Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and the Finals.

Finals

The final is held at

Sabina Park Sabina Park is a cricket ground and the home of the Kingston Cricket Club, and is the only Test cricket ground in Kingston, Jamaica. History Sabina Park was originally a Pen (urban residence and adjoining land of a wealthy merchant, shopkee ...

, this match has the potential to draw thousands of fans as the stadium holds 20,000. The final is usually held as a double header with the match for 3rd place being played before the final. The victorious team is awarded the prestigious Lynk Cup along with a sum of money; * Winner - J$1.65million * Runners Up - J$1.45million * Third place - J$1.05million

History

When founded, the Lynk Cup ended the 9-year hiatus of an all-island knock out competition in Jamaican football, which was previously served by the JFF Champions Cup, last held in 2014.

Portmore United Portmore United Football Club is a Jamaican professional football team in the top flight Jamaica Premier League. With 7 Jamaica Premier League titles, 5 JFF Champions Cup and 2 Caribbean Club Championships, Portmore United is the most decorat ...

defeated

Cavalier The term ''Cavalier'' () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England, Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum (England), Int ...

2–0 in the inaugural Lynk Cup National final to claim the first ever title and their only silverware of the 2022-23 season.

Controversy

The inaugural JFF Lynk Cup final between

and

at Sabina Park was overshadowed by

robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

, as thieves broke into one of the dressing rooms. Several Cavalier players were robbed of their belongings while the game was in progress. Phones, money and other valuables were discovered to have been stolen when the Cavalier team returned to the dressing room at half time.

Winners and finalists

Source: ''Soccerway''

References

{{National association football cups (CONCACAF region) Football cup competitions in Jamaica

Recurring sporting events established in 2022