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<p>Schoolboy football knockout competitions, Walker Cup and Ben Francis Cup will have a different format for the second year in a row.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://buzz-caribbean.com/app/uploads/2019/08/linvern-wright-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-5217" /><figcaption>daCosta Cup Chairman Linvern Wright announces changes to the Schoolboy football knockout competitions.</figcaption></figure>
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<p>The new formats for the competitions were announced at the launch of the schoolboy football season at Terra Nova Hotel on Wednesday.daCosta Cup Chairman Linvern Wright said changes for both knock competitions were done after consulting with coaches and other stakeholders.</p>
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<p>Both competitions have been tinkered with a number of times in recent years as the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) tries to find a workable solution to the hectic schedule of matches for the players.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://buzz-caribbean.com/app/uploads/2019/08/football-competition-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-5235" /><figcaption>A scene from the launch of the 2019 Schoolboy Football season.</figcaption></figure>
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<p>This year, teams that will qualify for the Ben Francis Cup are the second and third-placed teams in the quarter-final round of the daCosta Cup. This is a shift from last year, where the third and fourth-placed teams in the daCosta Cup move into the first round of the Ben Francis Cup. Similar to last year, the Ben Francis Cup will be contested in three rounds, with the qualifiers paired in the first round, before the semi-finals and final.</p>
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<p>For the Walker Cup, the eight teams that are knocked out in the second round of the Manning Cup will also be paired against each other in home-and-away ties. The winners will then join the third and fourth-placed teams from the two quarter-finals zones from the Manning Cup.</p>
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<p>The winners of the four matchups will qualify for the semi-finals before the final. Last year the Walker Cup was contested by the eight losing teams at the end of the second round of the Manning Cup.</p>
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