Dalton Laing, Freelance Reporter

The winning team of the Westmoreland Football Association dress parade, Llandilo FC. - Photo by Dalton Laing

History was created in Westmoreland as the parish's football association recently launched its first ever Under-17 football league.

The event kicked off at the Frome Sports Complex with a dress parade featuring 16 of the 19 teams down to compete.

Llandilo was selected as the best dressed team followed by Robins River and Central Communities with Grange Hill Organisation Development Squad taking the fourth slot.

For the four games that followed, Petersfield got the better of Deans Valley 2-0, Robins River beat Darliston United by the same score, Newmarket swamped Chantilly 5-0 with Christopher Grant scoring the first hat-trick of the league and Grange Hill and Frome ended with one goal apiece.

League coordinator Devon Maxwell says the FA is strapped for cash to run the league but the most important thing now is to get things off the ground.

"We received sponsorship of $300,000 from World of Sports of which $200,000 is used for providing shirts for the teams. The remaining $100,000 will be used for referee fees."

He said that the competition committee of the Westmoreland FA is currently trying to get additional sponsors to provide cash prizes, trophies and medals at the end of the competition, which is planned for late March or early April.

He is optimistic that at the end of the competition, the champion team will be getting $50,000 and the second place, $25,000.