The Cayman Islands Football Association 2025/26 domestic season has officially kicked off, bringing with it the start of the men’s and women’s premier leagues.
The weekend of 4-5 Oct. marked the conclusion of week one fixtures, with teams eager to set the tone for their title campaigns.
One of the matches, held on 5 Oct. at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex, saw Academy SC secure a comfortable 3-0 win against Sunset FC – with all three goals being scored within the first seven minutes of the game.
For Academy SC head coach Marko Perović, although the win was “an important” one that he is happy about, he admitted that the field’s current condition made the game challenging, adding, “I’m thankful nobody was injured.”
Despite these conditions, Perović reflected on his team’s performance, acknowledging that one area he intends to improve on is fitness and running endurance.
Academy SC captain Elijah Seymour said, “It was a good win and 3-0 is a comfortable score line.”
“I feel like we could have had way more [goals], but it’s the first game of the season, so we’re taking it nice in every stride. We did some short preparations, but we’re making a tick every week, so that’s all we can ask for. Three points, a W to start the league and we’ll see where we go,” he added.
On the opposing bench, Sunset FC head coach Alan Purvis pointed to the start of the game as the key factor in the loss.
“If we could replay the first seven minutes, I think we’d be okay, it would be a different game… We just weren’t sharp enough, intense enough, and were a bit like deer in headlights in the beginning there,” Purvis said.
“You can’t give teams a three-goal head start, but after that, our shape [and] structure was a lot better. We made it a lot more difficult for them, but you just got to be ready right from that first whistle, so that first seven minutes is obviously disappointing,” he added.
CIFA Premier League week one results
For the Men’s Premier League, defending league champion Elite SC started its title defence against Cayman Athletic SC, winning 5-1, while FA Cup holder Tigers SC met East End United FC, with Tigers coming out on top 2-2.
President’s Cup winner Bodden Town FC secured their three points due to Scholars ISC forfeiting.
Future SC gained a 3-1 win against Latinos FC while 345 FC commanded the win against Cayman Brac FC with a 10-0 finish.
The Women’s Premier League saw defending champions Sunset FC – who also captured last season’s FA Cup – completely dominate, overwhelming Latinos FC for a commanding 10-0 victory.
League runners-up Scholars ISC secured a 4-1 win over Elite SC, while President’s Cup winners Academy SC edged past Fusion SC, taking the three points with a 2-0 final score.
