Rain delays start of ExxonMobil U-14 Schools football

Heavy rainfall in the city on Friday forced organisers of the fifth annual ExxonMobil Under-14 Schools Football Championship to postpone the start of the tournament.

Coordinated by the Petra Organisation, the tournament was officially due for kick-off on Saturday at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue. Weather permitting, the competition will now commence on Monday, May 27, at the same venue.

The format will see a round-robin group stage followed by a knockout round for the top eight teams in each division. Details of the group stage fixtures are expected to be released soon.

There will be no further eliminations after the ‘top eight’ stage. Winning schools will receive grants ranging from G$400,000 for the champions to G$75,000 for fourth place.

Individual accolades will also be awarded, with the Most Valuable Players (MVP) in both the boys’ and girls’ categories receiving school supplies for a year, courtesy of Petra.

Bartica Secondary School won the last boys competition, while Waramuri Secondary School took home the female title in 2023.