– close to M in prizes for top teams
Top Brandz Distributors under their Corona Beer brand have partnered with Petra Organisation for the inaugural Corona Invitational Football Tournament in which twelve of Georgetown’s marque teams are set to compete.
This announcement was made on Friday at a simple ceremony at the company Broad Street Location, where Co-Director of the organising body Troy Mendonca stated that he is elated to have the support of the company and promised that the tournament will align into their objectives of promoting the beer.
Mendonca indicated that the tournament will be played on a round-robin knock-out phase where there will be two groups of six teams. The top four from the respective group will advance to the knock-out phase.
The teams are playing for first place prize of one million dollars and championship trophy while second to fourth will pocket $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding accolade.
The tournament was initially set to kick-off on June 30 but according to Mendonca the inclement weather caused the delay, with the tentative date now being July 7 and the conclusion scheduled for September 9.
The playing days will primarily be Fridays and Sundays which will see the Georgetown Football Club, Bourda and Tucville Ground being the main playing venues.
The organiser further explained that on the first day of the tournament admission will be free for all patrons and will continue to be same for women only throughout the duration of the tournament.
Top Brandz Sales and Marketing Manager Pratima Prashnajeet explained that objective of the tournament is to enlighten the public on their theme for the beer, “ This is living”. Brand Ambassador Jean-Paul Bonse added that the company is seeking to promote the community teams and build a fan base by having additional entertainment packages at the venues.
Meanwhile, Georgetown Football Association (GFA) First Vice-President Aaron Fraser applauded Petra for helping the GFA to fill a void given the difficulties which led to a delay in their leagues competitions. Fraser was also in high praise of Top Brandz, who he termed a non-traditional sponsor for football, for lending support given the “turbulent economic” situation in the country.
Guyana Football Federation (GFF) president Wayne Forde noted that the Federation will continue to support the work of Petra since they programmes align with the Federation’s developmental plan for the sport.
The tournament will feature Guyana Police Force FC, Campton FC, Santos FC, Pele FC, Georgetown Football Club, Beacons FC, Northern Rangers, Western Tigers, Riddim Squad, Flamingo FC, Black Pearl and East Ville FC.
