Guinness “Greatest of the Streets”: Three days until anticipated kick-off
Who will be made of more? That’s the question on the lips of teams and fans ahead of the start of this year’s Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” Competition.
Scheduled to commence this Friday, at the National Park, the competition will be played over eight days and the buzz around the town is that all 32 teams are chomping at the bit to see who will emerge champion in the most popular street-style football.
Returning after a four-year absence, the organisers have put on offer over $1.5 million in prize monies and trophies for the top four finishers, while the winner of the Plate final and Skills Challenge competitions will also be rewarded financially.
Speaking at the launch recently, Guinness Brand Executive Lee Baptiste said that they were expecting keen rivalry among the teams, adding that even after four years of the tournament’s absence, the feedback among teams and fans point to an exciting experience, one that had become a customary feature of the tournament over the years.
A glimpse of what to expect this Saturday at the National Park
“What we have been hearing within the communities that the teams come from is that they are excited and eager to be part of the event, while similar sentiments have also been expressed by residents of those communities,” Baptiste said.
The winning team will take home $800,000 and the champion’s trophy, while the second-, third- and fourth-place finishers will receive $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively.
The winner of the Plate final will cart off $$100,000.
Meanwhile, the first three nights of the competition will be played on a knockout basis, with the winners advancing to the group phase, before the quarterfinals set for March 30.
Following are the fixtures for the first three nights:
On Friday, March 15: Alexander Village versus Rising Stars; Sophia v Bent Street Young Gunners; Festival City v Laing Avenue Ballers; North East La Penitence v Ballers FC and Gold is Money v Renegade All Stars.
On Saturday, March 16: Broad Street v Make It Happen; California Square v Sophia B; North Ruimveldt v Street Ballers; Albouystown v Airport Ballers and Back Circle v Stabroek Ballers B.
On Sunday, March 17: Up Top Boss v Lodge All Stars; Tiger Bay v Middle Road Ballers; Bent Street v Tucville Rangers; Stabroek Ballers v Bad A Yard; Leopold Street v Unstoppable; Sparta Boss v Back Road Ballers.
