Courts Optical Pee-Wee tournament gets underway

The 10th edition of the Courts Optical Pee-Wee Under-11 Football tournament got off to a rousing start on Saturday morning at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Carifesta Avenue in Georgetown with over 25 primary schools from Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10 parading their colourful uniforms.
As is customary, there was the tournament’s march-past before a ceremonial kick-off was expertly taken by the Courts Optical Chain Manager Richard Simpson.
In brief remarks at the opening ceremony, Simpson, among other things, advised the youngsters to enjoy the experience on offer.

“We are excited and we are happy to see so many kids in one location. It’s like happiness for us, and we’re looking forward to great things: we’re looking forward to those exciting highlights, we’re looking for the star players. And the good thing about a football competition like this is that everyone is a winner,” Simpson said.
He added, “So, what we’re asking, even though it’s a competitive sport, what I want to see is everyone having fun.”
The Ministry of Education’s Deputy Chief Education Officer (Hinterland) Marti De Souza has encouraged the students to utilise the next few weeks as an opportunity to learn about their peers and country. He informed, “Indeed, as some of you will be preparing for your exams, whether it’s in school or the NGSA, I want you to remember there’s that old saying that goes ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. Well, here’s your opportunity to show us what you have; to learn from each other.
“At the end of this, you will learn from many of your friends: where they’re from, where their school is located, which region they’re coming from, and things like that. So, not only is this tournament going to be one of sport and you showcasing your skills, you will also learn something about the geography of your country and your culture,” De Souza related.
After Simpson had delivered a goal-piercing strike for the ceremonial kick-off, the football action got underway with two games running simultaneously. On one half of the venue, Kabakaburi Primary defeated Soesdyke Primary 4-0 on account of goals from Jamie Thomas (2), Romel Elliott (1) and Jaydon Baird (1). A double from David DeCosta led Redeemer Primary past Tapakuma Primary in a 3-1 affair. Shivraj Persaud was the other goal scorer for Redeemer.
The tournament is also supported by Sterling Products Limited and by MVP Sports.