Long-awaited East Bank Inter-Village kicks off Saturday

It is finally here; the long-awaited East Bank Inter-Village Football Tournament is set to kick off this Saturday with a double header at the Eccles EE Community Centre ground.
However, preceding the start of on-field action there will be a Grassroots Festival before the March Pass of all 12 participating teams at 17:00h.
Organised by Sports Extra, all the big names in the sport from communities located on the East Bank of Demerara and the Soesdyke–Linden Highway have confirmed their participation, and fans could expect riveting clashes throughout the competition.
According to a release from the organisers, the teams have been placed into four groups of three, with Agricola, Kuru Kururu and Mocha making up Group A, while Group B consists of Herstelling, Lower Soesdyke and Swan.
Group C contains Grove, Circuitville and Upper Soesdyke, while Timehri, Kaneville and Friendship are stationed in Group D.
In the opening encounter Kuru Kururu goes up against Agricola in what many pundits believe will be a gruelling contest, and this clash will be followed by Herstelling colliding with Lower Soesdyke.
Sports Extra’s Franklin Wilson, in comments about the staging of the tournament, said that the communities along the East Bank and Soesdyke–Linden Highway corridors have been starved of organised football for quite some time, and this festival aims to serve as a stimulus to get the sport playing once again among the various villages.
He pointed to the Government’s vision for a “One Guyana” as an added incentive to boost the relationships among the teams and community by extension, adding it can also serve as talent spotting and much-needed economic activities.
The tournament carries cash prizes and trophies totalling more than $3 million along with prizes for outstanding individual performances.
The first prize is set at $1 million, while second, third, and fourth prizes are $500,000, $250,000 and $150,000, respectively, along with individual accolades for Best Goalkeeper, Most Valuable Player and Highest Goalscorer.
The competition resumes the following day with another doubleheader at the same venue.
In the opening game, Grove takes on Circuitville from 17:00h, followed by the feature clash between Timehri and Kaneville.
Fans from the participating communities are being urged to come out and represent their stars.