International Junior Hockey tournament in the pipeline

The Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) got the ball rolling for the 2017 season with the Bounty Farm/Antonio’s Grille outdoor tournament at the National Stadium late January, and at the conclusion of the tournament President of the GHB Philip Fernandes indicated that there is the possibility of a junior tournament, whereby international teams will be participating.

Fernandes, speaking with the media said, “We had a good start to the hockey season and as far as the year goes, we have quite a few exciting things listed for the year and one of the most interesting is that we had contact from a school in Barbados and they are interested in bringing a junior contingent down.”
The prospect of this happening is likely to take place in the July-August window, according to Fernandes.
As a result, the GHB has contacted their counterparts in the twin island republic, Trinidad and Tobago, a country with whom Guyana share a good sportsmanship-like rivalry with, who indicated some amount of interest.
The GHB President had earlier pointed out a very lengthy year for the juniors locally and with the addition of this international tournament, it is likely to have many benefits to the youth players.
He noted that this tournament, though not international teams, but rather school teams, can provide international exposure to the children, in keeping with the inter-school tournament the GHB has planned on its own local circuit.
Additionally, the GHB will be focusing on the Pan-American Games, which is expected to give a good amount of exposure to the players with some of them already having been on the tour before. The Pan-Am Games are set for September, with the exact dates and venue to be released shortly.
If this is to become a reality, it will add to the international tournament for the seniors and veterans that Guyana hosts, the Diamond Mineral Water Indoor Hockey Tournament.