Georgetown Football Association (GFA) President Vernon Burnett says that preparation for the third edition of the annual GFA/Banks Beer Knockout Cup has been progressing smoothly.
Speaking at a simple press briefing at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground, Bourda, yesterday, Burnett said: “All plans are going ahead smoothly and we are scheduled to commence on Saturday November 23rd. The preliminary games will be played in Georgetown, Buxton, Berbice and Linden.
“While we have not decided the venue for the final, we will tentatively be back here. Our plan is to make
GCC more accommodating to patrons because we have a bigger tournament with 32 teams and we expect a much larger turnout than last year’s event,” said Burnett.
He stated that the entrance fee to the respective venues for the preliminary matches will be $500 and that tickets will be sold at the respective entrances of the GCC venue on the event’s opening night.
He added that the first 200 patrons upon entering the venue for the event’s opening night will receive a free bottle of Banks beer and that the entrance fee for the respective semi-finals and final fixture’s will be made known shortly.
Banks Beer Brand Representative Brian Choo-Hen said: “We are on stream in terms of planning the event. The matches will be exciting as we have the defending champions Camptown facing Essequibo and Topp XX and Pele playing on the opening night.
“Congratulations to the GFA for making it a countrywide event. It gives footballers whether they are from Berbice, Linden, West Demerara or East Coast a chance to experience football. I am excited for the start and it will be a good launch at the GCC ground,” added Choo-Hen.
GFA Vice President of Administration and tournament coordinator Lavern Fraser-Thomas said: “We are working assiduously to make it happen and everything is on stream to make sure we have that fabulous opening on Saturday.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank all the teams for signing on to compete and ask them to make sure their necessary team information is ready. Thanks must also be given to the Guyana Football Referees council and everyone else that is working towards making this tournament a reality” said Fraser-Thomas.
The GFA/Banks Beer Knockout Cup which features 32 teams from across the country will officially commence on Saturday November 23rd at the GCC ground, Bourda.
A formal opening ceremony inclusive of a march past featuring all 32 teams will set the tone for the event’s opening doubleheader. In the opening fixture at 18:00hrs, defending champions Camptown FC will open the event against Essequibo while Pele FC will oppose Topp XX from 20:00hrs.
