Yesterday afternoon, experienced school football tournament coordinators, the Petra Organisation, launched their 2024 season at the Massey Distribution Office at Montrose, East Coast Demerara.
Their first tournament of the year will be the 10th edition of the Milo Secondary Schools U-18 Football Championship, sponsored by Massey through their Nestle product Milo, and will commence on February 18.
While Petra has invited some 52 schools from across Guyana, that number has been whittled down to 24. The games are slated to be played at the Ministry of Education Ground and the NIS Ground, both on Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown. The winners of this year’s tournament will get GYD $300,000, while the runners-up will pocket $150,000, and third place will settle for $75,000.
On the individual side, there will be accolades for the Most Valuable Player (MVP), highest goal scorer, and best goalkeeper.
At the launch of the tournament, Petra Organisation’s co-director, Troy Mendonca, gave an overview of the upcoming tournament.
He pointed out that the competition is “a marquee tournament that has etched its name in school football history. We could have only reached this point because of the support of Nestle and its distributor, Massey.” He revealed that while the tournament will have 24 teams taking part, some schools have gained automatic berths while others will have playoffs based on their geographical locations.
The defending champions of the tournament are Santa Rosa Secondary, and to this end, Mendonca noted, “Last year we invited Santa Rosa Secondary, and they added so much value to the tournament. This year, we hope to bring other schools from other outlying areas.”
Mendonca further explained that the tournament will follow an initial round-robin format, followed by the round of sixteen, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final, which is tentatively on April 14.
“We anticipate keen competition among the teams. We will have the semifinals and final live-streamed, and we hope to have the final aired on SportsMax as well. We are using the tournament and our platform to address violence in schools. I extend a special thank you to Massey and Nestle. We are optimistic that our tournaments will continue contributing to producing well-rounded students.”
Also present at the launch was the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) Vice President, Dion Innis. He commended the Petra Organisation for “being consistent in organising youth tournaments, along with Massey under their Milo brand for showing support to youth football through their sponsorship. We cannot advance without the involvement of all stakeholders; we need multiple stakeholder involvement if we are serious about taking football to another level in Guyana.”
Meanwhile, Nicholas Fraser, Administrator of the Allied Arts Unit in the Ministry of Education, gave his stamp of approval for the tournament.
“In terms of where the tournament began and where it is today, it is pertinent to celebrate its 10th edition.” He further commended Milo’s continued sponsorship and involvement in the development of sports in Guyana.
Fraser echoed Mendonca’s sentiment that physical education and sports are important parts of producing well-rounded individuals and spoke about Petra’s tournaments aligning with the Ministry’s vision of having each student graduate from school having played a sport.
Present to hand over the sponsorship package was Nestle’s Senior Business Manager, Teisha Milner, who stated that her brand is elated to be on board again with Petra and the Ministry of Education. “It is something that youths look forward to, and we are happy to give them that opportunity. We look forward to the intensity of the games as they unfold.”
In closing, Chief Executive Officer of Massey, Navin Thakur, noted, “We are spending a lot in terms of our corporate social responsibility, but what I want to have from this programme is to have the equivalent of five Shamar Josephs coming out of the Milo tournament.”
