THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Super 16 tournament will kick off tonight at Guyana Police Force Sports Club ground at Eve Leary, with two exciting matches in a win-or-go-home formatted championship.

With over $4M up for grabs from 18:30hrs, Elite League side, Milerock FC will play Pele, while Guyana Police Force FC and East Bank Football Association team, Timehri Panthers, will collide from 21:00hrs.

Meanwhile, at a simple but significant handing-over ceremony at the Brass Aluminium and Cast Iron Foundry Ltd (BACIF) West Ruimveldt business area, Managing Director Peter Pompey officially handed over to GFF president, the GFF Super 16 trophy that was manufactured by the local casting & machining specialists.

The historical presentation of the first trophy ever developed by this means has been described as a work of art and a work of craftsmanship by Pompey.

“It signifies what Guyana can do as a country and what we can do collectively. We trust that as the trophy is handed over and it makes its journey around the football arena, it would be appreciated as a trophy of value to this sport.”

Pompey noted that football has value in Guyana as it relates to community development for the nation’s youths, pointing out that the work the GFF has been undertaking in terms of re-branding and re-developing needs to be supported by corporate and all Guyana.

“Football has a positive influence and can develop our communities in a positive way. So BACIF’s association with this project … we’re extremely delighted and happy to be a part of it and I want to thank Forde and his team for demonstrating the faith in BACIF to provide something that will truly represent not only our country and BACIF but also the GFF’s image.”

The trophy would have been conceptualised by Forde and Pompey during a conversation before it was then drawn up on paper before the experts and engineers came into the picture to manufacture same, some five weeks or so ago.

Forde, who commenced his engineering career at BACIF a few decades ago, described the trophy as a spectacular piece of engineering and craftsmanship realised.

The GFF Super 16 Cup which would have been an undertaking since this new administration took office some four years ago has been adding more value to the competition ever since then, Forde stated.

He further noted that it was against this backdrop that the idea of producing a trophy by a local company with the requisite expertise would add further value to a quality tournament that the Federation is striving to realise. Forde also indicated that the GFF Super 16 Cup has now taken on an international flavour.

“GFF has shared with FIFA, CONCACAF and our colleagues within the CFU region the design of the trophy, the concept of the trophy and it has drawn a lot of attention and excitement. We will be sharing the images of the final product with our governing bodies and hope that it inspires similar initiatives across the football community.”

Forde expressed gratitude to Pompey and his hard-working staff for contributing to what they see as a wholesome sporting initiative within the communities.

The GFF president said, “Football has the power to bring people together; it allows our young men and women to put their energies and invest their time in a valuable way, in a manner that returns to them a measure of success over the course of their most productive years.”