Upgraded KFC Goodwill tournament to kick off next month
KFC’s Pamella Manasseh hands over the sponsorship cheque to Petra’s Troy Mendonca in the presence of (from left) Referee Wayne Griffith; Assistant Director of Sport, Franklin Wilson; the Education Ministry’s Nicholas Fraser and Guyana Football Federation’s Troy Peters.
Exhilarating school football action is in store for the month of December as the KFC Goodwill International Football tournament makes its return for a fourth edition on December 12.
This year’s tournament sees an expansion from six teams last year to eight teams, with the inclusion of a Jamaican school, arguably among the best in the best in the Caribbean, thus heightening the competitiveness of the event.
The fourth edition of the tournament was launched on Thursday afternoon at Cara Lodge, Georgetown, where Petra Organisation Co-Director Troy Mendonca reiterated the aim of the tournament while highlighting the shared vision of the organisers and title sponsor KFC.
KFC Marketing Manager Pamella Manasseh
“Which is a competition aimed at bringing together the best or at least, a representative of each geographical location from the Caribbean to match skills at the school level,” Mendoca shared at Thursday’s launch.
He went on to add, “This competition as we know in the past gives our boys an opportunity to showcase their talents and it acts as a good benchmark for the sport in the country. And I want to emphasise, it was a good sight, seeing Waramadong winning the last tournament, having beaten the likes of St Benedict’s and the team from Suriname.”
On the matter of their shared vision with KFC, Mendonca related, “I must admit, from the Petra Organisation, it takes a lot of courage to embark on such a mammoth event and the main reason is because Ms [Pamella] Manasseh, through her company, would’ve shared the same vision like us and so, at this point in time, we would like to acknowledge the contribution and the commitment made by KFC Guyana.”
Petra Co-Director Troy Mendonca
The eight teams in this year’s tournament will be defending champions DC Caesar Fox (Waramadong) Secondary, St Ignatius Secondary, Jamaica’s Clarendon College, Trinidad and Tobago’s St Benedict’s College, Suriname’s Voorgezet Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (VWO) 4 and the top three finishers from the ongoing Limacol Schools’ League.
The teams will be divided into two groups of four for a round-robin stage, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.
In a word from the sponsors, KFC Marketing Manager Manasseh spoke to the growth of the tournament and the company’s continued commitment to such.
“The tournament is managed by the Petra Organisation, whose brand is in line with our values. There has been so much development over the past four years. To name a few, the tournament has expanded from six to eight teams, five in Guyana and three internationals. The tournament is now able to cover insurance for the participating teams and is even able to provide livestreaming for viewers in the hinterlands and overseas,” Manasseh divulged.
She went on to state, “With this partnership, KFC continues to give back to the development of our youths which goes a long way in carrying life lessons; resiliency, respect, compassion, companionship, character and all of which will benefit the players now and throughout their adulthood. We are thrilled to be a part of this event.”
In a new addition this year, the champions will cart off $500,000 GYD ($2500 USD) while second, third and fourth place will pocket $300,000 ($1500 USD); $200,000 ($1000 USD) and $100,000 GYD ($500 USD) respectively.
The tournament will see four games per day in the initial stages, with the grand finale set for December 22. (Jemima Holmes)
