Joshua Denny Memorial Football final on this Friday
…Petra donates trophy
Petra’s Nareeza Latif presenting the trophy to Aferya Denny
In a fitting memorial of the first year of the death of former youth footballer Joshua Denny, an under-20 football competition has been organised to honour a talented and ambitious young athlete who lost his life under tragic circumstances in 2021.
As the tournament moves into the final round this Saturday, it has been disclosed that the intention is to keep the tournament going concomitant with the cherished memory of Joshua Denny. This was revealed by his mother Aferya Denny during a simple ceremony on Tuesday afternoon, at which the Petra Organization presented the Champions Trophy.
“Yes, this will be an annual initiative, trying to get the message over, ‘Mothers against gun violence’ and the support has been overwhelming,” the Denny matriarch explained.
On September 30th 2021, the young and upcoming Joshua Denny was robbed and gravely injured while on his way to work; he succumbed to his injuries soon after. Coupled with his birth anniversary, September holds special significance for his mother. She highlighted, “It [the tournament] will be in September every year, because that’s the month of his birth and that’s the month that he died. So, I would like it to be in September every year.”
The two-day Joshua Denny Memorial Under-20 Football tournament, being played at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Carifesta Avenue, has already witnessed riveting action on its first competition day. Santos FC downed Camptown FC 6-1, while Georgetown FC (GFC) edged Fruta Conquerors 2-1.
Touching on what she expects for Friday’s final, Aferya Denny articulated that the tournament has already lived up to expectations.
“I think the teams have put their best foot forward. They showed up at game time and all was well,” Aferya Denny commented.
The grand finale of the memorial tournament is set for Friday, October 7th at the aforementioned venue on Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown.
Joshua Denny represented the Lodge School team at the Milo and KFC tournaments, and also the Camptown Football Club from under-11 players up to the senior level.
