The 2026 Blackheart / Saint Lucia Football Association Inc (SLFA) Knockout Football Tournament will feature 19 teams playing 18 matches at three venues over the next month, as the top squads target the lion’s share of the $60 000 in prizes on offer. For the first time in its 26-year history, the nation’s most exciting football competition will feature only under-20 players, with the tagline ‘Where Future Legends Rise’.
The tournament was officially launched on Thursday evening, May 14, at the SLFA headquarters in La Clery, Castries. Among the speakers were Minister for Education, Youth Development, Sports and Digital Transformation, Kenson Casimir, and Chairman of the National Lotteries Authority, Wayne Auguste.
The main man, however, was David “Shakes” Christopher, CEO of Blackheart Productions. He charted the course from the tournament’s beginnings at Mindoo Phillip Park in 1997, noting that it laid the foundations for the Saint Lucia Semi-Professional Football League. Similarly, Christopher envisions the Under-20 format providing a stage for the next generation of international footballers.
“We stood back and said these young players have not gotten the avenue that the senior players are getting. So when we look into the crystal ball, we said, ‘Give the youths a chance’. We saw what’s going on with the youth. They’re all over the place; there’s no channel for them.
“So, sitting down with the president of the football association, he saw the vision, and he said, ‘Let’s give the youths a chance’. This will be the future of football in Saint Lucia. It’s going to be the feeder for the semi-pro, because most of the footballers playing in the semi-pro are going to get up to that “Piton” in just a matter of time. So we need a feeder belt for that investment that the minister and the government are making.
“A lot of people feel that it’s a crazy move and it would not create that aesthetic… but trust me, don’t be a Doubting Thomas. This is it. This is the cream of football in Saint Lucia. This is where the next “Ball Hog” and the next Titus “Titi” Elva and the next superstars in football are going to come from, this Under-20.”
Lyndon Cooper, President of the SLFA, reiterated the sentiment that the shift to youth football was necessary to safeguard the future of the sport. He revealed that this competition is a precursor to the long-anticipated return of league football at the Under-20 level, which he said will begin in January 2027.
“We had to introduce the Under-20 because we must create a pathway,” stated Cooper. “We must ensure the continuous development of the semi-professional football team. The fact that there is no Under-23 for us, simply because of a change in the last five years when it comes to international football, the pathway for us must be from Under-20 to senior.
“I say this because there is an Under-20 World Cup, there is an Under-17 World Cup every year. Saint Lucia must change its football ecosystem. If we do not change it, we are not going to make the international strides that we ought to be making.
“The Under-20 is now a fixture on the development programme of the SLFA, and it’s going to remain on the SLFA’s programme for the next life everlasting. So, we are going to see six months of Under-20 starting from January to maybe June/July, and semi-pro July through to December.”
The SLFA chief reminded his audience of the investment the federation has made in various age-group competitions for boys and girls. Christopher, meanwhile, disclosed that, notwithstanding the significant prize money available to participating teams, individual players will not be compensated to safeguard their eligibility for US college scholarships.
The tournament commences with a playoff tripleheader this Saturday at Phillip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort.
