Regent Street establishment, WJ Enterprise, has hopped onboard as a partner with the Petra Organisation to stage the fourth annual Limacol football tournament, which kicks off on Saturday (August 31) at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue.
On Tuesday, co-director of the Petra Organisation, Troy Mendonca, collected the sponsorship from Accounts Executive at WJ Enterprise, Kavita Sukhu, thereby welcoming the company as a partner in the development of football.
The sponsorship was done through the entity’s Croxley Paper brand, and Mendonca was grateful for the support.
“We’ve been asking and seeking out corporate Guyana to invest their products in sports in general, moreso football. And I’ve said before, a lot of companies will invest and they might not see the immediate results in terms of product sales or physical sales, but we want to assure them (WJ Enterprise) also that they’re not only investing in their products, but in human lives,” Mendonca noted.
He made reference to the Petra Organisation’s impact on youth football, having staged age group tournaments from the Under-11 to the Under-20, with one female player who passed through the programme now a part of the national team set-up.
“So these investments help to build future leaders,” Mendonca emphasised.
Speaking on behalf of WJ Enterprise, Sukhu said the company is extremely pleased to assist in the promotion of sports, in this case football.
“We at WJ Enterprise recognise the stewardship of the Petra Organisation in organising football tournaments and we see it fit to support this activity to develop talents locally,” Sukhu remarked.
Twelve teams will compete on a round-robin knockout basis. The tournament will run for one month and all matches will be held at Education Ministry ground.
There will be three groups of four, with the top two and best two third place finishers progressing to the quarter-finals. At stake will be $400,000 for first place, while second to fourth will pocket $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.
Georgetown: Georgetown Football Club, Pele FC, Camptown FC, Northern Rangers, Black Pearl, Beacons, Riddim Squad and there will be a playoff between GT Panthers and Eastveldt to determine who makes the cut.
East Coast Demerara: Mahaica Determinators, Buxton Stars
East Bank Demerara: Grove Hi-Tech
West Demerara: Pouderoyen FC
At the launch a week ago, Mendonca, a former Georgetown Football Association president, said they chose to invite eight Georgetown teams given the lack of football in the city. The initial aim of the tournament was to bridge the gap between Elite League teams and the first division clubs.
The Guyana Police Force won the tournament last year when they defeated Pouderoyen 4-2. However, Police will not participate this year due to their elevation to the Guyana Football Federation’s Elite League.
