STFA teams start strong in new-look Champions tournaments

The competitions were introduced this year in a joint venture by the STFA and the Highlands Soccer Association. They pit teams from both organisations against one another, in what STFA director of football, Craig Norris, said was a timely "circuit-breaker" for local teams.

"In the middle of the season, it breaks it up a little bit," Norris said.

"It's a little something different there for everybody to play some different teams. I think it's a good little circuit-breaker in the middle of the season which works really well for everybody."

The tournaments are played in a similar format to that of the World Cup, with each division separated into two pools of four teams.

The Champions League is the equivalent of a Division One competition, while the Champions Shield is Division Two.

The competitions will run for five weeks, starting last weekend and scheduled to end with the finals on July 24.

Both the STFA and HSA enjoyed successful opening rounds, with teams from the former scoring four wins on Saturday, while those from the latter secured three.

Along with a chance to introduce some variety to the season, Norris hopes the tournaments can pave the way for further inter-association competition.

"Many years ago, there was a joint competition between the men," he said.

"There's been a reluctance from the men to get involved in a joint competition again. The Highlands put forward a proposal late last year, and we started working towards it.

"It's designed to give everybody a taste and see whether there's a desire among the players to maybe expand it a bit more next year."

The other advantage to having a separate competition run mid-season, Norris added, was the opportunity for teams to experiment with their tactics and formations without fear of losing points.

"One club looked at it and said 'Okay, this is where we reset, we try something different in these competitions, and try to get our season back on track'," he said.

"It gives you a chance to experiment. Some people will want to win the competition, and other teams will take it as a chance to try some different things in their team lineup without jeopardising their place in the regular season."

Full results and fixtures for the Champions League and Champions Shield can be found here. The second round of both tournaments will take place this Saturday, July 3, with matches scheduled to begin from 3pm at varying locations.

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