Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” hailed as World Cup of local football

Utility man and Sparta Boss talisman Sheldon Shepherd has declared that the Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” Championship is the ‘World Cup’ of local football, especially for the community teams.

This was revealed via an official press release from tournament coordinator Three Peat Promotions.
Shepherd, who plies his trade for the North East La Penitence-based outfit, said, “This is the biggest tournament; this is like the World Cup, and everyone wants to win this tournament. Once you have not won this tournament, we don’t count you as a team. This is the tournament that everyone is waiting for; this is our World Cup because everyone focuses on the Guinness. If you have not won a Guinness, you can’t brag to anyone. Win a Guinness, then we can talk about any other tournament.”
In the 10 years of the event’s existence, Sparta Boss hold the distinction of being the most successful team. They possess two Georgetown titles and three National Championships.
Asked about his confidence in securing another title, Shepherd said, “We are going to take it one step at a time; this thing is about steps before we meet the final. Sparta is best in Georgetown, and we are going to use Georgetown to show this.”
He further stated that expectations for the team were always high as a result of their enviable record, adding, “We know about going to the final and semi-final, since we won our first Guinness. We are always in the top, because this is normal for us.”
Questioned about the status of the team’s preparations, he said, “We have not been training as much, but everybody doing their own personal work and organising themselves. This is how we does do it and it shows we are the best, because the other teams does be training and we still win. We know what we have to do and how to play.”
The competition is scheduled to be launched today at the Thirst Park ahead of its first playing date on July 12 at the National Cultural Centre tarmac. The other playing nights are July 13, 19, 20, 26, 27 and August 3.
Matches will be staged at the National Cultural Centre tarmac, Burnham Court and the National Racquet Centre. The first two nights will be elimination matches. They will be followed by the group stage, which will be held the next three nights. The top two finishers from each group will progress to the quarter-finals and subsequently the semi-final round on the penultimate day.
The final will subsequently follow. Meanwhile, the Guinness Plate Championship will feature the eight teams that fail to progress from the group stage.
The overall winners will automatically seal their place in the National Championship in August.
To date, Beacons (Bartica champions); Melanie B (East Coast Demerara winners); Brothers United (West Demerara/East Bank Demerara winners); Trafalgar (Berbice champions) and High Rollers (Linden champions) are the teams to have secured automatic berths to the National Championship.

Elimination fixtures
Friday’s fixtures (July 12, National Cultural Centre tarmac):
Trap Squad v LA Ballers
Upsetters v Albouystown A
North Ruimveldt v John Street
California Square v Alexander Village
North East La Penitence v Stabroek Ballers
Norton Street v Back Circle
Sparta Boss v Judgment Yard
Gold is Money v Globe Yard

Saturday’s fixtures (July 13, Burnham Court tarmac):
Rising Stars v Good-over-Evil
Ol-Skool Ballers v Sophia
Albouystown B v Berlin
Kingston v Broad Street
Bent Street v Charlotte Street
Future Stars v Sophia United
Leopold Street v Pike Street
Queen St Tiger Bay v Smyth Street