the Guyana Beverage Company, through its Busta soft drink brand, has thrown its support behind the second annual Soft Shoe football tournament, coordinated by the Petra Organisation.
The 24-team competition, set to kick off in grand style on May 17, was officially launched last week by the Petra Organisation, which is partnering with the Ministry of Public Health to bring awareness to the issue of Gender Based Violence.
Director of the Petra Organisation, Troy Mendonca, in sealing the partnership with Guyana Beverage Company Inc. earlier this week, said, “At the end of the tournament last year the then Managing Director Mr [Robert] Selman said that this tournament was here to stay, and so today I am pleased to acknowledge the support of the Guyana Beverage Company through its Busta brand for supporting this tournament another year.”
He added, “We want to assure you that your commitment to this tournament gives us the opportunity to have
Director of the Petra Organisation, Troy Mendonca (centre), is flanked by representatives of Guyana Beverage Company Inc. as they seal the partnership
youngsters within communities to meaningfully engage in organised sports and also the opportunity to address a social issue that is seriously affecting our society.”
The tournament, which was originally set to start a bit earlier but was put on hold owing to inclement weather, will feature 24 teams from Georgetown.
The teams would be placed into six groups of four playing in a round-robin format. The top two from each group, along with the four best third placed teams will advance to the knockout round.
The winning purse is $300,000, while the losing finalist will receive $200,000. Third and fourth placed finishers will pocket $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.
This year, the organisers plan to utilise more community spaces to hold matches, thereby taking the messages related to Gender Based Violence directly to the populace. In terms of the rules, teams would consist of five persons, and players would not be allowed to play in cleats.
The goal would be the usual size used for futsal games, while admission to the venue on match days is free.
Apart from the Guyana Football Federation, the Ministry of Public Health and Guyana Beverage Company Inc., the other partners are GTT, Lucky Dollar, Nigel’s Supermarket, Juniors Jewelry, Star Party Rentals and 2J’s General Store.
