Sean Hudson of Timehri and Wayne Francois of Grove, East Bank Demerara, along with brainchild of the competition, Parliamentary Secretary in the MCYS Steve Ninvalle, referred to the tournament as a bridging of the gap among villages.
However, Hudson and Francois believe that since the MCYS is playing their part, the support of the corporate community will be a welcome boost.
Hudson, after a small presentation ceremony at Ninvalle’s office yesterday, said that any football tournament that will keep youths away from societal ills is a good initiative to support.
He emphasised this point by stating that the winners of the Timehri version of the tournament, Kuru Kuru Warriors, were not a dominant unit but now they have emerged as the winners and this was in part due to the exposure from the inter-block football competition.
“This tournament has been exposing budding new talents and I think the private sector can contribute to bringing more talents,” Hudson declared.
Francois said that more competitions of this nature are needed at the “grass-roots” to foster not only greater competition among teams but to create an environment where better relationships can be formed through sports.
He too observed that the tournament has helped in bringing to the fore new talent and it can become more widespread if the tournament should go countrywide.
According to Francois this will be possible only if the business entities become involved. He stated that the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament Royston Adams came from Samatta Point, a team that had not previously been among the top positions.
Captain of the Kuru Kuru Warriors Shannon Vickery said that it felt good for his team to win the tournament especially since his team has been playing a lot of competitive football. He noted that the initiative is a good one and he also pleaded for the support of the corporate community.
When Stabroek Sport spoke to Ninvalle he said that every year there will be improvements to the tournament. He promised that next year the competition will be better and more energy will be poured into it.
Ninvalle said that the aim of the competition is to continue to foster relationships among communities in keeping with the mandate of the ministry to promote good health and wellness.
He indicated that the competition is not only to see which team is more skilled but to “bridge gaps” among villages and even generations.
Meanwhile, the largest contingent for the tournament came from Grove with 12 teams. The Kuru Kuru Warriors received $25,000.
