ExxonMobil U-14 Schools Football expands to 48 teams

Teams from Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, and Ten will compete in the expanded ExxonMobil Boys and Girls Under-14 Schools tournament, coordinated by the Petra organisation.

In 2022, there were 32 school teams; 24 of them were all boys and the others were girls. A year later, it has grown to 48 teams – 32 and 16 in the respective categories.

The sponsorship from the oil giant has swelled to G$13.9M for the fourth edition of the tournament.

The tournaments kick off May 13 and concludes on June 17 with Saturdays being the main playing day at the NIS Ground on Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown while the finals are next door at the Ministry of Education ground.

At the official launch on Friday at Cara Lodge, the organisers and sponsor expressed excitement over what lies ahead and the potential impact it could have on overall youth development.

According to Ryan Hoppie, Community Relations Advisor for ExxonMobil Guyana, “For us at ExxonMobil, establishing meaningful relationships that benefit communities are an integral part of our global/social enhancement efforts…it is part of our efforts to make positive contributions in Guyana, contributions that will be of value to your communities.”

More so, Marti De Souza, Deputy Chief Education Officer with responsibility for Amerindian and Hinterland Education Development, re-emphasised the Ministry of Education’s endeavor to have each student learn at least one sport in a bid to produce more rounded students.

Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle, applauded the stakeholders for taking the necessary step of presenting a platform for young talent to display their skills which can then filter into the Ministry’s National Academy.

Technical Director at the Guyana Football Federation, Bryan Joseph, also spoke on how the tournament will be used as a filter for their programmes.

Teams who qualify for the quarter-finals will be given uniforms.

The cash prizes, which go towards school grants, are $300,000 (first), $150,000 (second), $70,000 (third), and $50,000 (fourth), along with individual accolades.

Last year, Charlestown Secondary School created history by winning both the Boys’ and Girls’ categories.