By Emmerson Campbell
Six Caribbean Street Football teams, including Back Circle from Guyana, will vie for US$4,000, a multi-purpose playing facility and bragging rights when the inaugural Guinness Caribbean Street Football Challenge kicks off at the National Park tarmac on June 21.
This was disclosed in the boardroom of Banks DIH Limited, Thirst Park, yesterday at the launching of the tournament.
Team Guyana (Back Circle), which won the last Guinness Greatest of the Streets Football competition, will tackle other winners of the same tournament from Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, St Lucia, St Vincent and Antigua during the three-night event.
Trinidad and Tobago’s national captain and Stoke City striker Kenwyn Jones will be in Guyana acting as the brand ambassador for the event.
After a round robin preliminary format, the top four teams will qualify for the semi-final. The winner of each semi-final will do battle in the final game which will be staged on June 23.
The first, second and third runners-up will receive US$2,000, US$1,500 and US$1,000 respectively.
Sales and Marketing Executive of Banks DIH Limited, Carlton Joao, stated that his company is proud to be hosting the inaugural tournament.
Said Joao: “Banks DIH and Guinness are proud to be hosting this inaugural tournament. We are proud to be Guyanese, this is a really professionally designed tournament, all the teams and the referees will be fully outfitted with national colours by team Guinness and of course there will be significant gear provided for each team taking part.”
Joao stated that street football games are normally free but due to the cost of the entire tournament which he did not disclose, an admission fee will be charged. Admission for the two preliminary game nights (June 21 and June 22) will be $500 while admission for the final will be $1000.
Joao also stated that Banks DIH Limited will do everything possible to have the Back Circle team fully prepared for the tournament. He stated that there will be a series of warm-up games on five nights where Back Circle will face seven other teams for a first prize of $200,000.
“We have to get our team fully prepared so what we are going to do is a series of warm-up games. We will have five nights of warm-up games starting on May 27th in Albouystown, the 30th (May) on Burnham Court, second of June to California Square where they should be at home, and the sixth and eighth of June at the Cultural Centre tarmac,” said Joao.
The seven other teams will be Albouystown, Alexander Village, Broad Street, D’urban Street, Island All Stars, Tiger Bay and West Front Road. The second place team will receive $100,000, third place $50,000 and fourth place $25,000. The remaining four teams will take home $15,000 each.
Admission will be free for the warm-up games.
Minister of Sport Dr. Frank Anthony in brief remarks stated that he is proud that Guinness and Banks DIH Limited are hosting the inaugural tournament which was the brainchild of Guyanese.
“To take something that is home grown and to take it to the Caribbean herein lies a success story because we have pioneered it and other people have now embraced it. Even if there is nothing else to come out of it we are the champions and the pioneers of it and giving this to the rest of the Caribbean and the rest of the world is something really marvelous and we should all be proud of that,” Anthony stated.
He also praised the idea of a multi-purpose facility being the first prize.
Said Anthony: “I like the idea because of the community side of it, if a team wins the tournament they will get something for the community. I think the idea of creating a multi-purpose tarmac for the country that wins I think that is a brilliant idea.”
He said further that the multi-purpose tarmac should be right here in Guyana and since Guyanese have started the tournament they ought to win the inaugural Caribbean version and the multi-purpose tarmac should be, preferably, where the Back Circle team have been training.
Also present at the launching were Tournament Coordinator Troy Mendonca, Banks DIH Limited Communications Manager Troy Peters, Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste and Outdoor Events Manager Mortimer Stewart.
