Pee-Wee teams receive footballs ahead of tournament

With the 13th annual Pee-Wee Under-11 Schools Football Tournament set to commence shortly, participating teams received their footballs during a distribution ceremony held yesterday at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown.

The simple ceremony formed part of the preparations for the developmental competition, which will bring together 32 teams from across Guyana.
Coordinator and representative for the Unit of Allied Arts within the Ministry of Education Eon DeViera stressed that the tournament was about more than competition, pointing to its role in developing young players both on and off the field.
“Football is not mainly about the competition, but it is about participation and also developing the students,” DeViera said.
He noted that football provides an important platform for children to learn teamwork, communication and mutual support.
“We know we have to support one another. We have to share, we have to communicate, and all these things help us develop as a child. So it is very important through these competitions that are held,” he added.
Petra Organisation Co-Director Troy Mendonca outlined the format for this year’s tournament, explaining that the 32 teams would be divided into eight groups of four, with each team playing the others in its group once.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 16. However, Mendonca explained that reaching that stage would not mean elimination for the other teams, as all participants will continue playing for final positions.
“At the stage of the round of 16, no other team will be knocked out. They will be competing for places one to 16,” Mendonca said.
He explained that the format was deliberately structured to ensure that the young players get as much playing time as possible, in keeping with the developmental objectives of the tournament.
“Of course, the backdrop of that is because this is a developmental tournament, and so because we are doing that, we want players to play as many games as possible,” Mendonca said.
eThe tournament is expected to officially get underway this weekend, with the participating schools now equipped with the necessary footballs as they prepare for the opening matches.