THREE NEW schools will contest this year's Pepsi/Sports Plus-sponsored Manning Cup and daCosta Cup football competitions which kick off with a double-header at Jarrett Park on September 7.

Defending Manning Cup champions Bridgeport face Campion College in the 2:00 p.m. curtainraiser before daCosta Cup kingpins Cornwall College oppose former archrivals Herbert Morrison in the 4:00 feature.

Cumberland High and Innswood High are the new boys among the 38 schools which will be seeking glory in the Manning Cup. Cumberland will play in Group D which also includes Jonathan Grant, Kingston College, Edith Dalton-James, Trench Town and St. George's College. Innswood are drawn in Group B along with Spanish Town, Jamaica College, Clan Carthy, Haile Selassie, Donald Quarrie and Penwood.

The lone new entrant among the 66 daCosta Cup teams are Winston Jones High, who will play in Zone F alongside Denbigh, Bellefield, Manchester, Porus and May Day.

Four groups of six teams and two with seven will line up for the Manning Cup. Group winners and the two best runners-up qualify for both the second round of the Manning Cup and the Walker Cup quarter-finals.

The daCosta Cup inter-zone round will include the winners and runners-up from the 12 preliminary round groups.

The Manning Cup final is set for November 16 with the daCosta Cup showdown slated for November 30. The two-way play-off for the Olivier Shield is on December 7 and 11 with the first leg to be played in the Corporate Area.

At yesterday's press briefing to announce details of the new season, chairman of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Clement Radcliffe said a full-time competitions officer would be appointed this year.

Also present at yesterday's function were Patrick Gillings, marketing director of Pepsi Cola (Ja) Ltd, and Staci Russell, marketing executive, Sports Plus.