The National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue this evening will be a hive of activity when the inaugural ‘Rio Indoor Streetball Championship’ officially commences with the group stage round from 19:00hrs.
According to an official release from tournament coordinator Three Peat Promotions, “The excitement and buzz is certainly in the air for this inaugural tournament. This is the first time in local history that an indoor community/streetball championship will be played for $1,000,000 first prize. It is well deserved for the players who have built this format from its initial humble beginnings and deserved recognition for creating a viable format and alternative of the traditional game.”
The release further said, “The tournament is expected to be fiercely competitive and very exciting for both fans and players. We are expecting a huge turnout and support throughout the event as [there] will be prizes to be won by several spectators each night, which will certainly add to the spectacle that will unfold. We encourage all teams to be punctual for their respective matches and to help keep the tournament along with their fan base incident free.”
Alexander Village and Kingston will kick off the competition from 19:00hrs, while Spot-7 will oppose Buxton Diamond at 19:30hrs and Back Circle will engage newcomer Rio All-Stars from 20:00hrs.
In the fourth engagement, LA Ballers will come up against Beterverwagting (BV) at 20:30hrs, while Leopold Street battles Uprising at 21:30hrs and Tiger Bay engages Broad Street at 21:30hrs. In the final match, Sparta Boss lock horns with East Coast Demerara giant Melanie from 22:00hrs.
The competition officially resumes on Saturday at the same venue with another round of group matches. The round-robin tournament, which ends on December 14th, will run for eight nights.
The other playing dates are November 21st, 23rd, 28th, 30th and December 7th. With the first place package already announced, the second, third and fourth place teams will collect $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively.
Group A comprises Back Circle, Buxton Diamond, Spot-7 and Rio All-Stars, while Group B contains Leopold Street, Tiger Bay, Uprising and Broad Street. Group C features Sparta Boss, Alex Village, Kingston and Melanie.
Group D consists of LA Ballers, Bent Street, BV and Avocado Ballers, while Group E is made up of Future Stars, Albouystown-A, Showstoppers and Stabroek Ballers. Group F involves Gold is Money, Sophia, Silver Bullets and Island All-Stars.
At the end of the group round, the top two finishers from each section and the best four third place teams will advance to the knockout round.
Day 1 – Thursday November 14th
Alexander vs Kingston-19:00hrs
Spot-7 vs Buxton Diamond-19:30hrs
Back Circle vs Rio All-Stars-20:00hrs
LA Ballers vs BV-20:30hrs
Leopold Street vs Uprising-21:00hrs
Tiger Bay vs Broad Street-21:30hrs
Sparta vs Melanie-22:00hrs
Day 2 – Saturday November 16th
Sophia vs Island All-Stars-19:00hrs
Alexander vs Melanie-19:30hrs
Albouystown-A vs Showstoppers-20:00hrs
Future Stars vs Stabroek Ballers-20:30hrs
Leopold Street vs Broad Street-21:00hrs
Gold is Money vs Silver Bullets-21:30hrs
Kingston vs Sparta-22:00hrs
