A NEW form of football will be introduced to Guyana, as Petra Organisation yesterday teamed up with Guyana Beverage Company to stage its Busta Soft Shoe Football tournament. Twenty-four teams, all from Georgetown, will be placed into six groups of four. At the end of the group stage, the top two teams along with the best four third-place finishers will advance to the knockout stage.

Ten players, the maximum, can be registered but only five will be allowed on the field which measures 50ft x 3ft and with the goal being 12ft x 6ft. No football cleats, only sneakers or turf will be the footwear required.
$600 000 will be up for grabs for the winners of the inaugural event, while second-placers get $300 000. Third and fourth pocket $200 000 and $100 000 respectively.
Winners of the group will also be given $25 000, second-place group finishers $15 000, third $10 000 and fourth $5 000.
North East La Penitence, North, Brazilian Team, Stevedore Housing Scheme, Festival City, Alexander Village, West Front Road – Gold is Money, Ruimveldt, West Back Road, Sophia, Queen Street Tiger Bay, Holmes Street Tiger Bay, Albouystown, Tucville, Globe Yard, Leopold Street, Cross Street, Kitty, Bent Street, D’Urban Street, Sparta Boss, Charlestown, Broad Street, California Square and Back Circle are the participating teams.
Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, the Ministry of Education ground and Tucville Community Centre ground will be the venues used in the tournament.
Robert Selman, Managing Director of Guyana Beverage Company, said that the tournament brings back profound memories of his childhood, playing on the streets of Trinidad and Tobago.
Selman, who’s known for his continued generosity to sports, is of the opinion that the tournament will allow those who are not playing or can’t afford to play for ‘top team’, a chance to cash in on the lucrative tournament in which the company has invested $4M.
“I know it will be a hit in the country and the players will come out and represent their villages and the streets where they live,” Selman said, full of optimism for a successful staging of the inaugural event.
Co-Director of Petra Organisation and tournament Coordinator Troy Mendonca said that his entity is pleased to be “associated with a grass-roots initiative” and spoke of the sport’s popularity in Europe.
Mendonca said that the sport is one which also opens up for spectators’ interaction and upon paid entry to the various venues, a bottle of Busta soft drink will be given to the person.

By Rawle Toney