NAMILCO U17 Academy Playoff: Berbice, Upper Demerara secure final berths

Upper Demerara and Berbice Football Academies have booked their spots in the final of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)-NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 National Academy Playoff after registering two impressive victories on Saturday in Georgetown.

On November 25 at the Georgetown Football Club Ground, the Upper Demerara Football Academy secured a narrow 1-0 win against East Bank Football Academy, while in another competitive clash, Upper Demerara Football Academy triumphed over Bartica Football Academy with a score of 3-4 in a penalty shootout.
The wins paved the way for an eagerly-awaited final clash between Upper Demerara and Berbice Football Academies, along with the third and fourth-place matches featuring East Bank Football and Bartica Football Academies. These matches are scheduled for Saturday, December 2, also at the Georgetown Football Club Ground.
In Saturday’s opening match, Upper Demerara Football Academy’s Kyimani Sealy scored the sole goal (39th minute) to book his team the first spot in the final.
Both teams employed an offensive strategy, but East Bank’s defence was breached after several goal attempts.
In the final match of the afternoon, Berbice Football Academy faced a tough challenge on their road to the final.
Berbice opened the scoring in the seventh minute through Quancy Fraser, and Bartica’s Ian Gomes equalised in the 18th minute.
However, Berbice managed to reclaim the lead thanks to a goal from Tyrone Delph in the 20th minute, but Bartica were not done. Rockcliffe Adamson netted a goal in the 81st minute, bringing the score to a tie by the end of regular time.
Following five penalties, both teams were level at 3-3. In sudden death, Bartica missed, and Berbice capitalised on the opportunity, securing their place in the championship match.
The matches were witnessed by GFF President Wayne Forde, Technical Director Bryan Joseph and Competitions Director Troy Peters, parents, enthusiastic fans, and supporters.
“This was an incredible display of talent from four remarkably talented teams, all determined to secure their spot in the final match. This is precisely what the NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 National Academy Playoff was created for – to give a platform for Guyana’s budding young stars to shine and gain recognition for the national team programme,” the GFF President said.
Forde also extended heartfelt congratulations to all participating teams in the playoff, acknowledging their impressive performances that truly captivated the crowd over the last few weeks.
The playoff tournament commenced on October 7 with teams organised into two groups. Group A encompassed Georgetown, East Coast, East Bank, the National Under-15 Team, and Berbice, whereas Group B featured Upper Demerara, Essequibo, Bartica, and West Demerara.
Following the round-robin phase, the standout teams from each group secured a spot in the championship round.
The GFF urges all fans to show their support for the youth development programme by rallying behind their teams during the championship round.