… 3 scholarships up for grabs
DIRECTORS of the Petra Organisation, Troy Mendonca and Marlon Cole yesterday expressed their satisfaction at the level of football being showcased by the various teams who competed in the soon-to-be-completed second annual Milo-sponsored Under-20 Football Championships.This was disclosed by Mendonca who told a media briefing held at the Brandsville Apartments Restaurant, the display of some teams was surprising and beyond expectations.
“We have reached the end of another exciting tournament, which is our Milo/Petra second Under-20 Championships and I think we can safely say that from last year to this year, we have seen improvements from certain teams who have participated in this tournament.
“Teams such as Bishops’ High and Queen’s College, who have this perception that has to do with the calibre of persons who play the game in comparison to some of the other schools, but what they put out this year, I think in the coming years they will be a force to be reckoned with,” said Mendonca.
He adding, “Barring the fact that the country on a whole is lacking and there is a lot to be done in terms of football, I think that we have seen some improvement in terms of the teams participating and I anticipate that within the next two years, this tournament will be the school tournament and that is our aim basically.”
Mendonca said he felt satisfied while observing last Saturday’s semifinals, where he had another firsthand view of the joy and camaraderie being shared amongst the players off the field and even supporters of teams who were battling for supremacy on the field.
“I asked myself a question, which is: ‘If we had not done this for the schools, what would have been there for them to do what they like, and also to create an environment for persons who are not interested in the sport, because we have situations like that,” said Mendonca.
He reiterated what many pundits have already confirmed during the tournament, that the best two teams in defending champions St George’s and the Meadow Brook Gardens-based Lodge Secondary, are the best two teams who have made it to the final, while many anticipate an exciting clash this Saturday from 18:00hrs at the Ministry of Education ground.
Not one to hug the spotlight for too long, Mendonca took the opportunity to express gratitude to the major sponsor of the tournament Nestle, through their local agent M. Beepat and Sons, along with the Ministry of Health, who organised a two-day Gender Base Violence (GBV) seminar for the coaches of the schools.
“I think we had a good workshop. From a personal standpoint, it has motivated me and I told my partner, that our contribution to that fight is a great one. For example and personally, coming out of that workshop, every woman that I have looked at after that workshop, I looked at her face.
“We as a group will continue in that direction in terms of the fight against GBV and to eradicate it, not just with this tournament. We wish to applaud the Ministry of Health for partnering with us on this subject, while we wish to thank the Ministry of Education and Allied Arts Department, who worked with us to make the tournament a success,” said Mendonca.
He continued by thanking the administrative personnel especially, who worked along with them tirelessly, the referees for their part, along with the media who helped make it happen and happen successfully, while everyone looks forward to Saturday’s contest.
In the third place playoff, Christ Church who went under to St George’s 3-0 and Dolphin who lost to Lodge Secondary 3-1 in their semifinal fixtures will do battle from 16:00hrs on Saturday, before Lodge and St George’s take the field, bringing the curtain down on another successful tournament organised by the Petra Organisation.
By Calvin Roberts