A small Christ Church-based football club is celebrating one of the most impressive ascents in Barbadian domestic football, after booking its place in the Barbados Football Association’s top-tier Premier League for the 2027 season with two consecutive promotions. Parish Land locked in their promotion following a tense 3-2 win over Technique this Wednesday, a result that pushed the side to 53 points and second place in the Division One standings. With only one final round of regular season matches left to play, third-placed Pinelands has already been mathematically eliminated from catching Parish Land for the second and final promotion spot. What makes this milestone even more remarkable is the speed of the club’s climb: Parish Land spent just one season competing in Division One after earning promotion from Division Two, also in a single season. Club president Kemar Ward shared that securing Premier League promotion was the team’s core target from the very first kick of the current campaign. “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,” Ward said in a post-confirmation interview. When breaking down the keys to the team’s historic success, Ward highlighted the side’s dynamic attacking force as a standout strength, noting that Parish Land has netted more than 50 goals across the current Division One season. He also added that the club’s defensive organization has been equally solid, conceding only 22 goals so far. The confirmation of Parish Land’s promotion came even after Pinelands earned a 3-0 win over Empire that lifted the side three spots to third in the table with 47 points. Even with maximum points from their remaining fixture on August 26, Pinelands cannot close the 6-point gap to overtake Parish Land for the promotion slot. Pro Shottas, the other team that has already secured promotion to the Premier League, currently sits atop the Division One standings with 55 points, leaving the league title still up for grabs in the final match week. If Pro Shottas drops points with a loss in their final game and Parish Land secures a win, the Christ Church club will overtake the league leaders to claim the Division One championship title. Ward, however, struck a realistic tone when talking about his side’s chances of topping the table. While he is confident his team will put in a winning performance in their final fixture, he expects Pro Shottas to hold onto their lead. “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. Now that their Division One campaign is all but wrapped up, the club will shift its focus to the upcoming Prime Minister’s Cup, which is scheduled to kick off on September 7. Ward noted that Parish Land will enter the cup competition in peak physical and competitive form, thanks to the tight end to their regular season and a recent run of consistent wins. For Ward, who has overseen the club’s climb since taking over as president, the back-to-back promotions are a point of particular 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,” he said. In other Division One matches held this Wednesday, Whitehall claimed a narrow 3-2 win over Notre Dame, Deacons delivered a dominant 13-4 victory over Fitts Village, and Potential Ballers beat Greens by a 3-0 scoreline.
Christ Church club seal second successive promotion after just one season in Division One
