McKay, NHT meet to decide champions of champions

McKay Security business house football coach Aurane Phoenix (centre) has the attention of players during a training session at Constant Spring Sports complex recently.Contributed KINGSTON and St Andrew Business House football rivals, Division One winners National Housing Trust (NHT) and McKay Security, defending champions of Saturday’s Raymond Quallo Memorial Challenge Cup, face off at Constant Spring in a matchup to decide champions of champions. McKay Security won their third-consecutive knockout crown on September 5, defeating Seprod 2-0, sealing a spot to defend their Raymond Quallo Memorial Challenge Cup title with eyes on the Division One title. However, McKay were beaten 4-3 on penalties by nemeses NHT in the Division One final two weeks later. NHT, who were winning their second crown in three years after losing to RJRGLEANER in 2025, have proven stubborn rivals, booting McKay in back-to-back Division One semi-finals, 2024 and 2025, after the security men had historically won the title on their 2023 debut. Coach Aurane Phoenix and Jason McKay, head of McKay Football Group, are adamant that NHT will have nowhere to hide on Saturday after using defensive tactics to win their recent Division One crown on penalties. “They parked the bus on us, very defensive and counter-attacking, knowing we had beaten them 3-0 in the knockout when they were forced to play open football. However, we are going to fix that in the Challenge Cup,” said Phoenix, whose team brushed aside Division Two winners National Commercial Bank 6-2 last Saturday, setting a rematch with NHT. “We did it last year by wiping out Division One winners RJRGleaner, 5-0, to prove we are the best team business house team after losing the semis 0-1 to NHT in extra time,” Phoenix said. McKay, who had predicted last year’s Challenge Cup wipeout of Division One winners RJRGLEANER, said his team will, once again, prove to be the best business house side. “It will be another annihilation,” McKay said. “You only get to hide once, not twice. RJRGLEANER felt our wrath this year and it will be the same for NHT.” Phoenix, who coached McKay to the Division One and Raymond Quallo Challenge double in 2023, crowning themselves ‘champions of champions’, said his team has been busy practising penalty drills in the event of a deadlock. “Our two best penalty-takers missed in that 4-3 loss in the Division One final but we are going to make things right this Saturday. It won’t get to that stage,” he said.