The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Technical Director Bryan Joseph has confirmed that all necessary preparations have been completed to ensure the successful kickoff of the highly-anticipated National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 National Academy Playoff on Saturday.
The GFF team has been diligently working over the last few weeks to ensure a seamless October 7 start to the new season of the prestigious playoff at the federation’s National Training Centre (NTC) in Providence, East Bank Demerara.
The opening day will feature a thrilling double-header with East Bank Football Academy facing off against East Coast Football Academy from 09:00h, and Upper Demerara Football Academy taking on West Demerara Football Academy from 11:00h.
The NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 National Academy Playoff complements the Academy Training Centre (ATC) programme, which specifically targets boys aged 14 to 17 years old.
ATC is an approved ‘Generation Next’ FIFA development programme.
Joseph said the playoff puts “the spotlight on our best young talent who have been working hard at the Academy Training Centres and are all aspiring to become international players representing our beautiful country. These are the players that will be on the forefront of national team discussions over the next decade.”
He added that the “best versus best opportunity that will be presented on match-days would be something you wouldn’t want to miss. Competition of this nature drives development and therefore we are excited to get going and unearth the next generation of stars.”
The competition will feature teams in:
Group A: Georgetown, East Coast, East Bank, the National Under-15 and Berbice
Group B: Upper Demerara, Essequibo, Bartica and West Demerara
After a round-robin phase, the best teams from each group will advance to the championship round, competing for the prestigious title of national champions.
“The GFF/NAMILCO partnership will always be remembered for the special moments and players that will be produced throughout this phase of the tournament,” Joseph said.
The GFF encourages football enthusiasts and supporters to attend the matches and witness the exciting competitive spirit of the young players representing the federation’s nine regional associations.
The NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 National Academy Playoff concludes on November 18.
