This year’s 24th annual Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Football Tournament will see 24 of the nation’s secondary school teams vying for top honours instead of the traditional senior ball clubs.
During the formal launch of the event at the Pegasus Hotel yesterday co-founder of the K&S Organization, Kashif Muhammad assured media operatives that the knockout tournament which will kick off on December 8 and conclude on New Year’s Day “Will offer our young players conditions no less favourable than those that have been enjoyed by the senior players over the years”.
“Except of course, we intend to treat this event as part of the process of helping to provide the youngsters with a rounded education.”
Muhammad added that this year’s tournament will offer footballers, some of who are likely to be part of the next generation of Golden Jaguars, the opportunity to be the principal participants of the tournament.
He also disclosed that the winner of the tournament will pocket a record $1.2M in cash of which 75% will go towards a project identified by the school.
The institutions placing second, third and fourth will each receive prize monies amounting to $750,000, $500,000 and $250,000, in cash respectively.
However, 75% of the total prize will also go towards a project identified by the School.
The MVP player of the tournament will receive one Laptop Computer.
The winning team will receive a trophy and 25 replicas in addition to the prize money.
The second and third place teams will receive trophies and 25 silver and bronze medals respectively, while the fourth place team will receive a trophy.
Teams vying for the prizes will come from Georgetown, Linden, Region Seven, West Demerara, East Coast, East Bank, Region Seven and Berbice. The city teams are St. George’s Secondary, Lodge Secondary, East Ruimveldt Secondary, North Georgetown Secondary, Queen’s College, Dolphin Secondary, Christ Church Secondary and Queenstown Secondary.
Wismar/Christianburg, Wisburg Secondary, New Silver City and McKenzie High School will represent Linden. Waramadong will showcase Region Seven. The East Bank Demerara teams are Covent Garden Secondary and Friendship Secondary.
The Ancient County will be represented by Ash Education Trust while Bladen Hall, President’s College, Ann’s Grove Secondary and Annandale Secondary will come from the East Coast.
Leonora Secondary, Stewartville Secondary, Uitvlugt Secondary and Patentia Secondary are the schools from the West Side.
These were the same top 24 teams in the Digicel nationwide school’s tournament which was staged earlier this year.
Each team will also be outfitted with kits and two footballs. The first match will kick off at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground and admission for each game will cost $500.
When quizzed on whether his organization has given up on the senior aspect of the tournament which ran for 23 consecutive years, Muhammad stated that he did “not wish to comment at this forum” but revealed that the school’s tournament will be an annual fixture.
Sponsors for the tournament include the Beharry Group of Companies, ANSA McAL and Mohamed’s Trading Enterprise.
During yesterday’s launch, brief remarks were also made by PRO of ANSA McAL, Darshanie Yussuf, Chief Education Officer of the Ministry of Education, Olato Sam and Desmond Helwig on behalf of Mohamed’s Trading Enterprise.
