Fourteen tertiary institutions from across the country will, for the first time, meet on the football pitch for what is anticipated to be a talent-packed, exhilarating first edition of the Mitsui Ocean Development & Engineering Company (MODEC) Tertiary Education Football Tournament.
Set to commence on Sunday, February 8, the competition was launched on Tuesday at title sponsor MODEC’s Kingston, Georgetown office.
There, MODEC Country Manager Rafael Fumis explored the competition’s longevity, highlighting the company’s commitment to community empowerment.
Fumis expressed, “For a couple of years, we’ve been looking after initiatives such as the Tertiary Championship, and finally, due to the strong commitment of the Petra Organisation and the Ministry of Education, we’re here. So, we’re very happy to be part of this initiative, which is very close to MODEC’s heart.”
“One of our values is empowerment, so nothing is better than education and sport to empower people and communities to develop and grow. By hearing that 14 different institutions are participating in this event, it really got me very impressed, and I hope this first experience is just the first of many to come,” he further stated.
Explaining that the tertiary tournament will complete the development cycle that the Petra Organisation works to foster, Co-Director Troy Mendonca also shed some light on the tournament’s structure.
“For years, the Petra Organisation ecosystem has been defined by a series of competitions at the primary and secondary school levels. These include tournaments for Under-11 boys and girls in primary, Under-14 boys and girls, Under-18 boys and Under-18 international tournaments at the secondary level. So, the introduction of the MODEC tertiary football tournament completes this development pathway, ensuring that talented young footballers have continuous opportunities for growth and competition throughout their education journey,” Mendonca elucidated.
“Of the 14 teams, we’ll match two teams with each other, and they will play on a home and away basis, and the team coming out with the best stats will advance to the quarterfinals. Of course, that will be seven teams, and the eighth team will go to the best losing team. Of course, the stats will also decide that. Then we advance to the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final,” the Petra Co-Director later explained.
Further, Deputy Chief Education Officer (DCEO) at the Education Ministry, Dr Ritesh Tularam under-scored the importance of having sport in tertiary institutions.
“Today, we take an important step towards strengthening the role of sport within our tertiary education system and affirming our belief in the holistic development of our students and our trainees,” Dr Tularam noted.
He further highlighted, “Education is not confined to classrooms, laboratories and lecture halls; education prepares individuals for life, leadership and teamwork.” Sport, and more so, football in particular, plays a vital role in building these qualities. It teaches discipline, perseverance, respect for roles and the ability to work toward a common goal; lessons that serve our young people well beyond the playing field.”
The participating teams include the University of Guyana (UG) Turkeyen; UG Tain Campus; Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE); Government Technical Institute (GTI); Linden Technical Institute (LTI); Port Mourant Technical Institute (PMTI); New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI); Mahaicony Technical Institute (MTI); Essequibo Technical Institute (ETI); Upper Corentyne Technical Training Centre (UCTTC); Texila American University (TAU); Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA); Leonora Technical and Vocational Training Centre (LT&VTC) and Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC).
The 14 tertiary institutions will be competing for a $300,000 grand prize that will be awarded in kind to the championship-winning school. The second-, third- and fourth-place finishers will receive $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000, respectively, for the same purpose.
The tournament will run for one month, concluding on March 8, 2026.
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