Petra Organisation eyes expansion of KFC School football tournament

The Petra Organisation has launched the third edition of its KFC Goodwill School Under-18 Football with the hope that it is a stepping stone to attracting more teams from the Caribbean and South America in the near future.

The tournament started in 2018 and inaugural winners Shiva Boys’ Hindu College of Trinidad and Tobago has been the lone visiting team to date.

This year, St. Benedict’s College, the top school from the twin-island republic, will journey to Guyana along with SVB Academy from Suriname.

Those two will play alongside defending champions Annai Secondary, Christianburg Wismar, D.C. Caesar Fox Secondary, commonly called Waramadong, and Golden Grove Secondary.

“Our vision clearly remains to have this event grow into a featured event among the Caribbean countries and so we are proud to have an international brand sharing the same vision with us in the KFC franchise,” Co-Director of the Petra Organisation, Troy Mendonca, said at the launch held at KFC Guyana’s Vlissingen Road location on Thursday.

Mendonca stated they will look to play the tournament in August to accommodate those who play in the precursor events- Milo tournament and GuyOil League- an opportunity to contest in their final term.

Complimenting Mendonca was the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Kashif Muhammad, who expressed a desire to support the growth of the tournament given the trajectory of the country and the overwhelming support from the Government currently.

More so, the Ministry of Education is happy to be a partner, adding to the rounded development of students.

Marketing Manager, Pamela Manasseh, expressed that Beharry Restaurant Holdings through KFC Guyana is thrilled to be a part of this tournament, which builds the life skills of student-athletes.

The tournament will be staged from December 14-23 at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue.

However, should the current inclement weather continue, the organisers indicated they will use the Guyana Football Federation’s training facility at Providence, East Bank Demerara.

The teams will be divided into two groups of three and each team will face each other in the group. Subsequently, the first and second-placed teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.

Group A comprises St. Benedict’s College, Golden Grove Secondary and Waramadong Secondary, while Group B includes Annai, Christianburg Wismar Secondary and SVB Academy.