The inaugural New Amsterdam Secondary Schools football tournament got off to a rollicking start at the All Saints Scots School ground yesterday following an impressive march past and opening ceremony.
Following the opening ceremony and march past of the eight competing teams, Tutorial High School swamped Skeldon Linepath 6-0 while Vryman’s Erven Secondary School defeated Rosignol Secondary School 6-2.
In two exhibition matches the members of the national U-19 girls’ team which contested the Inter-Guiana Games earlier this year was split into two sides and played to a 1-1 draw while a specially arranged U-13 match ended 0-0.
Earlier master of ceremonies and former Golden Jaguar, Roger Alphonso, told the invited guests and the eight competing teams.. “It gives me great pleasure to say thank you for showing up.”
He also thanked the coaches who worked with the teams prior to yesterday’s matches and made special mention of his brother and former junior national player Mark Alphonso, Kenneth `Schemo’ Murray, Sam Jones, Neil `Grizzly’ Humphrey, Shurwin Forde, Avia Lindie, Petra Forde and Marcia Paul-Ross among others.
Former Mayor of New Amsterdam, Errol Alphonso recalled the happening of an event some 39 years ago which was the catalyst that resulted in junior and senior footballers from Berbice making the breakthrough onto the national team.
“Thirty nine years ago in New Amsterdam was a famous final. A football game was played at the Fort Canje Hospital Ground between a New Amsterdam Primary/Secondary Schools football team and a Georgetown Primary/ Secondary Schools football team. It was the first time the Guyana Teachers Union national football championships saw as its champion, the New Amsterdam district,” Alphonso recalled.
“That championship saw what I will refer to as a surge in soccer in Berbice which saw Berbice players being selected to the national squad.”
He said that in those days unless one played for a Georgetown club or lived in Georgetown one was unable to make the national football team.
“That 1970 team broke that barrier and there were subsequently five junior players and five senior players on the respective national teams,” he declared.
The eight teams that are competing in the tournament are: Skeldon Linepath Secondary, Canje Secondary, Berbice High School, Berbice Educational Institute, New Amsterdam Secondary School (Multilateral) Tutorial Academy Vryman’s Erven Secondary and Rosignol Secondary School.
Berbice High School was voted the best dressed team at the march past.
The competition continues today.