The Demerara Distillers’ Limited (DDL) has officially joined a star-studded list of sponsors for the ongoing ExxonMobil Boys’ and Girls’ Under-14 Schools’ football tournament, boosting the tournament for a fifth consecutive year.
A few days after round one of the group stage kicked off, the sponsorship cheque was handed over to coordinators Petra Organisation on Thursday morning at the company’s Diamond, East Bank Demerara office.
DDL’s Brand Communications Manager, Schemel Patrick
There, Brand Communications Manager Schemel Patrick spoke of the company’s willingness to continuously support the tournament, which is fuelled by the equal opportunities presented to young athletes.
“DDL and Pepsi, we’re committed to supporting youth through sport and especially through these grassroots initiatives that really allow our young athletes to embrace teamwork and develop in the sport. We are also committed to providing equal opportunities for young athletes. So, including girls in the competition is something we’re very happy about,” Patrick shared.
DDL’s Brand Communications Manager Schemel Patrick makes a presentation to Petra’s Do- Director Troy Mendonca in the presence of DDL Representative Alleah Hamid.
The DDL Brand Communications Manager further expressed, “We actually like that the girls are given an opportunity to develop their skills, their confidence and they’re able to shine on the field. We think it’s important for players to showcase their skills and have fun in the discipline that they love so much.”
On the other hand, Petra Organisation’s Troy Mendonca highlighted the tournament’s growth and thanked Pepsi for staying along for the ride.
Mendonca related, “As we would’ve noted this year, the support and the enthusiasm from the schools in terms of being part of this programme, we’ve moved from more of a competition to more of an event where these kids now coming and interacting with their colleagues and other team members. We’re seeing a [rising] level of participation by parents, teachers, coaches.”
“And so, the support of Pepsi has helped us to grow and we grow together. So, on behalf of myself and Co-Director, we would like to say a big thank you to the management and staff of DDL, through this Pepsi Brand for their continuous support,” he went on to add.
The ExxonMobil U14 tournament will continue this Saturday at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground, Carifesta Avenue with the second round of the group stage. Stenna Drilling Inc and MVP Sports are amongst the tournament’s other sponsors.
