ExxonMobil plugs over $20M in 6th Boys’ and Girls’ U14 tournament

With a $20 million investment this time around, the sixth edition of the ExxonMobil Boys’ and Girls’ Under-14 football competition will ignite the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground from Saturday, June 14, for five weeks of exhilarating school football action.
In excess of 50 boys’ and girls’ teams from Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and 10 will compete for a $400,000 grand prize in both competitions.
During the competitions’ official launch on Thursday afternoon at Cara Lodge in Georgetown, Petra Organisation Co-Director Troy Mendonca spoke of the meticulous planning for the tournament, promising a smooth, exciting event.
Mendonca expressed, “I stand here with immense excitement and pride that I can, today, officially launch the sixth edition of the ExxonMobil Boys’ and Girls’ U14 tournament. As Co- Director with the responsibility for competitions, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside the dedicated team, to elevate this tournament to the remarkable level it has reached. Every detail, from rules to logistics, has been meticulously planned to ensure a seamless and rewarding experience for all involved.”

“We at Petra, we remain committed to delivering another successful and inspiring tournament. We thank all the stakeholders and ExxonMobil for their dedication and we look forward to witnessing incredible talent and sportsmanship…unfold on the field,” the Petra Co-Director added.
In a word from the title sponsors ExxonMobil, Commercial Advisor Okeme Beaton articulated the company’s drive for empowerment through sports.
“It’s been six years now since ExxonMobil has been sponsoring this competition and every year we see the growth in talent, sportsmanship and vigour, throughout the entire tournament. Supporting empowerment through sports is one of the main focuses of ExxonMobil. Why sports? Why is our company paying so much focus on sports throughout Guyana? We believe that sport is vital towards building of youth and it’s a pillar for their development,” Beaton remarked.
Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle in his time with the mic, not only pledged the National Sports Commission’s and Sport Ministry’s commitment to make the tournament a truly national one, but also pledged to support the introduction of the ‘most promising player’ prize.
Ninvalle advised, “It is heartening to know that this tournament is being run through eight of the 10 administrative regions that Guyana has and I would urge Exxon and the organisers of this tournament to let’s look and see if next year, we can make it a truly national event by having [teams] from Region Nine and Region Eight. I’m saying this because of the fact that the National Sports Commission, and by extension, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, stands ready to provide whatever assistance is necessary to make this a truly national affair.”
The Director of Sport further pledged, “And in saying that, I would want to ask the organisers that, even though they’re having several prizes for MVP and so forth, we would want to ask that there’s special prizes for the most promising players and the NSC will be supporting that cause, both for the males and the females.”
While both boys’ and girls’ champions walk away with $400,000, second place receives $200,000, third place $100,000 and fourth place $75,000, all for a school project of their choosing.
For individual prizes, the Boys’ and Girls’ Most Valuable Players (MVPs) and highest goal scorers will receive a $60,000 school supplies voucher, a trophy and a pair of football shoes while both tournaments’ best goalkeepers receive a similar reward alongside goalkeeping gloves instead of shoes.
Chase’s Academic Foundation’s boys and President’s College’s girls are the tournaments’ defending champions.