Christ Church club seal second successive promotion after just one season in Division One

Parish Land have secured promotion to the Barbados Football Association’s Premier League for the 2027 season, continuing a rapid rise that has seen the Christ Church club promoted in successive seasons.

A 3-2 victory over Technique on Wednesday left Parish Land second in Division One on 53 points and, with just one round remaining, mathematically beyond the reach of third-placed Pinelands.

Parish Land spent just one season in Division One after similarly requiring only one season to earn promotion from Division Two.

Club president Kemar Ward said securing a place in the Premier League had been the team’s goal from the beginning of the campaign.

“You know it was always a goal from the beginning. We were a really united unit and played together and for each other like a big family,” he said.

Ward identified Parish Land’s attacking strength as one of the key pillars of their successful season.

“We have a great attack, an excellent one actually and we scored over 50 goals. We let in 22 so defensively we were good as well, but I thought our attack was great.”

Parish Land’s promotion was confirmed despite Pinelands jumping three places to third on 47 points following a 3-0 victory over Empire. With only one round of matches remaining on Wednesday, August 26, Pinelands cannot collect enough points to overtake Parish Land for the second and final promotion spot.

Pro Shottas, who have also secured promotion, lead the standings on 55 points, but the Division One title remains up for grabs.

Should Pro Shottas lose their final match and Parish Land win theirs, the Christ Church side would leapfrog the leaders and finish the season as Division One champions.

Ward, however, was realistic about the chances of that happening. While confident Parish Land can win their final match, he expects Pro Shottas to do the same.

“I don’t see them losing honestly, but it was a good season. We fought it out twice and they won the first game while we won the second and everyone dropped some points in between. We ended up also drawing one more game than them and this is where the difference in points came about.

“We began the season with the intention of being promoted and are fine with second place to be honest,” Ward conceded.

Attention will soon turn to the Prime Minister’s Cup, which kicks off on September 7.

Ward believes Parish Land should enter that competition in excellent physical and match condition, with the Division One campaign wrapping up and the team having put together a string of victories.

For the club president, however, the speed of Parish Land’s climb through the divisions is a particular source of pride.

“We actually only spent one year in Division One. Most of the other teams spent several years at this level and some even got demoted. We only spent one year in Division Two as well. Since I became president, we got promoted each season.”

In Wednesday’s other Division One matches, Whitehall defeated Notre Dame 3-2, Deacons hammered Fitts Village 13-4 and Potential Ballers beat Greens 3-0.