New Int’l school added as KFC Goodwill returns for 5th edition

…New tournament trophy unveiled

The football teams of eight schools, four local and four international, will converge on two venues in December as they vie for the new and improved trophy on offer in the 2024 edition of the KFC Goodwill International Schools’ Football Tournament.
This fifth edition of the tournament would see defending champions Clarendon College of Jamaica and St. Benedict’s College of Trinidad & Tobago returning alongside the winner of Suriname’s School Football League, and there is an addition in Tobago’s Speyside High School.
From Guyana, the D.C Caesar Fox (Waramadong) Secondary of Region 7 and the winner of the playoff between Annai Secondary and St. Ignatius Secondary of Region 9 would be joined by the top two schools from Petra’s upcoming 8-team tournament.
During the tournament’s official launch on Tuesday afternoon – an event hosted at Cara Lodge in the city – Petra Organisation’s Co-Director Troy Mendonca reiterated the vision for the tournament, while heaping gratitude on its title sponsors.

“Being the fifth year, it’s a strong statement of our intention, as we speak every year: that we want this tournament to be a true Caribbean tournament; and we’re thankful for the confidence shown by the Executives of KFC Guyana in supporting this tournament for the fifth year,” Mendonca shared.
The Petra Co-Director went on to add, “This tournament will expose our local players to players from different countries, to a different level of the game. We will experience teams with different skill sets (and) different cultures and backgrounds.”
On the other hand, KFC Marketing Manager Sadia Strand articulated the fast- food giant’s eagerness to witness this year’s tournament.

“But I think it is absolutely fantastic that we have the opportunity to be on an international stage in this environment, and this fifth-year tournament is going to be the best one yet. Gathering here today, we’re reminded of the hard work that it takes to create such a thing. Being able to provide children and others with healthy tournaments such as this one is imperative for fostering healthy competitive attitudes that will be used both on and off the field,” Strand noted.
From an educational perspective, Head of the Education Ministry’s Allied Arts Department, Nicholas Fraser, expressed appreciation for the elevated challenge that the tournament offers to Guyanese student athletes.
Fraser opined, “It’s one thing to go to P.E class and do P.E and learn sport; it’s another thing to go to the class knowing you have to play against another school, and to practise and to start thinking what that other school might bring. So, it’s even a level higher to have children understand that, in winning a tournament, they can play against the best from another Caribbean country. We do know this is something that’s very exciting for the schools, (and) very good for the sport of football.”
The KFC Goodwill Tournament is set to be run from December 15th to 22nd, with games scheduled for the Queen’s College and Ministry of Education grounds.
Additionally, a new trophy, crafted specifically for the tournament by Sculptor Rodwell Ward, will be lifted by this year’s champions.