After over two years of no on-field activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Petra Organisation is set to make a return with its full football programme, with a heavy focus on the game at the school level.
This revelation was made on Thursday evening at Cara Lodge in Georgetown where representatives of the body met with stakeholders to discuss the impending return.
In its formative years, schools football featuring mainly Georgetown institutions was very active in events organised by Petra.
In the years leading up to the pandemic, the Organisation had expanded to accommodate schools from Linden, East Coast and West Coast Demerara, and for one of their tournaments, teams from the interior regions and Trinidad.
One of their marquee tournaments, the Milo Schools Under-18, is set to resume on June 18 at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown.
Co-Director of the Petra Organisation, Troy Mendonca, said the aim is to continue laying the platform for future national footballers, as several talents in the current senior set-up have passed through the various tournaments.
Petra has collaborated with the Allied Arts Department of the Ministry of Education, with a view of filling the gaps in the youth development system.
Likewise, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), through its Member of Services Officer, Franklin Wilson, who represented the GFF President, also showered praises on the Petra Organisation, noting that the resumption of activities will aid the programmes of the Federation.
The GFF recently launched the nationwide FIFA-driven Football for Schools Programme.
The other tournaments on Petra’s agenda are the GuyOil Tradewind Tankers School League, ExxonMobil Boys and Girls Under-14, Courts Pee Wee, Smalta Girls Pee Wee, KFC Goodwill tournament, Corona Beer Futsal, Limacol round-robin knockout and Turbo knockout football.
