The 10th edition of the Courts Optical Pee Wee Football Championship will kick off on Saturday (September 23), and tournament coordinators, the Petra Organization, conducted the team briefing and ball distribution exercise on Tuesday (September 19) at the National Library on Church Road.
The exercise involved several of the participating schools and zeroed in on the rules and regulations that will govern the tournament which is to be played at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue.
Troy Mendonca, Co-Director of the Petra Organization, underlined the pivotal roles assumed by the respective teachers, who work hard behind the scenes and are often unrecognized. Mendonca also highlighted that the tournament has created a base and a gateway for players to take the next step to the club level and eventually into the national set up.
Meanwhile, Richard Simpson, Courts Optical Chain Manager, pointed out that the company which is celebrating its residency of 30 years in Guyana, has always held the development of the community as very important, he revealed that the development of youths is a major focus of the entity’s corporate social responsibility.
Marti De Souza, Deputy Chief Education Officer (Hinterland), informed that the launch of the tournament correlates with the staging of education month which highlights the importance sports and education holds in the development of youths.
On the other hand, Deputy Director of Sports Franklyn Wilson praised the Petra Organization for their continued emphasis on youth development, as children are an important investment for the future, noting that the promotional entity have conceptualized and conducted tournaments at every conceivable age group and gender which speaks volumes about the quality of the organization.
The 32-team event tourney kicks off this Saturday (September 23rd). The grand finale will be staged on October 28th. All matches will be held at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown. The respective teams will be broken into eight groups of four with the top two finishers from each group advancing to the elimination round. The respective losers in the knockout section will progress to the plate division to battle for positions 5–16.
Although the list of schools is yet to be finalized, the possible competing teams, which will emanate from Georgetown, Region #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, and #10, are: Amelia’s Ward, Ann’s Grove, Beterverwagting, Craig, Den Amstel, defending champion Enterprise, F.E. Pollard, Genesis, Grahams Hall, J.E. Burnham, Marian Academy, North Georgetown, One Mile, Potaro, Redeemer, School of the Nations, Smith’s Memorial, Soesdyke, Sophia, South Ruimveldt, St. Agnes, St. Ambrose, St. Angela’s, St. Margaret’s, St. Pius, St. Stephen’s, Timehri, Tucville, Victoria, Westminster, West Ruimveldt, and Winfer Gardens. The final list which potentially includes Tapakuma Primary and Kabakaburi Primary from Region #2 will be announced shortly.
The winner of the tournament will receive the championship trophy, gold medals, and a pair of uniforms. Each player will also be presented with an electronic tablet. The runners-up will collect a trophy, silver medals, and six balls. The third-place finisher will pocket a trophy and four balls, while the fourth-place side will walk away with a trophy.
On the individual side, a trophy and a pair of football cleats will be presented to the eventual most valuable player, highest goal scorer, and best goalkeeper.
The 592 Dugout 