Bartica, ECD forge ahead in GFF Boys’ U13 Challenge Trophy

A 2-0 victory over West Demerara Football Association ensured Bartica held on to the lead in Group A of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Boys’ U13 Challenge Trophy after week four, while a goalless draw away to Berbice proved enough for East Coast Demerara (ECD) to outdo rivals Georgetown to top Group B.
A first-half effort from Bartica’s Michael Joseph and an own goal from West Demerara’s Jason Adams gave the Region 7 side a comfortable win over West Demerara at the Bartica Community Ground on Saturday, November 13.
East Bank Demerara beat Essequibo/Pomeroon 3-0 at the Anna Regina Ground on the same day, with two first-half goals coming from Mickel Morris and a third from Jaden Tasher. That result leaves East Bank in second place on seven points in Group A, with a game in hand over first placed Bartica, who have nine points.
In Group B, with Georgetown not in action, there was an opportunity for East Coast Demerara to go to the top of the table. In the end, a nil-nil draw against Berbice at All Saints Ground on November 14 was enough to see the East Coast side pull one point clear of Georgetown, who have played one less game than their coastal rivals.
Group B’s other match, played out on November 13, saw Upper Demerara overcome the domestic-based Guyana National U17 Women’s Team – competing as a guest side in the competition – at the GFF National Training Centre.
Goals from Keishon Leacock and Zimri Rose within the first 12 minutes proved the difference in a 2-0 win for the Region 10 team.
The U13 boys’ tournament is part of the GFF’s ground-breaking Academy Training Centre (ATC) programme, launched in 2017, and is the first of its kind in the Caribbean region. The ATC is a selective national youth development programme that gives girls and boys aged between 6 and 19 years a weekly, structured training curriculum anchored in the GFF’s football philosophy and delivered consistently throughout its nine regional associations.
The competition involves representative teams from U13 ATC groups in all nine regional associations, as well as the National U17 Women’s Team. A primary purpose of the tournament is to identify potential talent for the Caribbean Football Union Boys’ U14 Challenge Series in 2022.
On November 20, East Bank will take on West Demerara at the GFF National Training Centre, while Essequibo/ Pomeroon will host the Rupununi. On November 21, East Coast play Georgetown at Melanie Ground and the National U17 Women’s Team will compete against Berbice at the National Training Centre.
As well as offering talent identification opportunities for the upcoming CFU tournament, the U13 tournament enables the GFF Technical Department to assess progress being made by the ATCs in all nine associations, and to test logistics for future inter-academy and intra-association tournaments, which will be a key feature of the 2022 national football season.