… Georgetown to oppose Linden in exhibition tomorrow
FOLLOWING two successful tournaments in Georgetown, beverage giant Banks DIH Limited has decided to take their ‘Guinness Greatest of De Streets’ football extravaganza to the mining town of Linden, following a sparkling inaugural launching yesterday. Speaking to the media at the LEAP Building, Sales and Marketing Manager Carlton Joao said it was an exciting time for the company to launch the tournament which will involve teams from Region 10 and not the Linden community alone.
“Certainly, we are excited to be here to launch the project in Region 10, where 32 teams will be battling for supremacy and a first prize of $450 000 as was announced earlier.
“I hope everyone is ready to become greater than great in this tournament, as that is our desire as we aim to make it a national event, where all the zone winners will compete in another tournament called ‘Guinness Ultimate in Greatness’, with the winner going on to represent Guyana at a Caribbean meet to be held in one of the islands.”
Addressing those gathered at the venue for the launching, including Banks DIH’s Linden branch manager Shondell Eastman, Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste and Communications Manager Troy Peters, Joao said he expects a high level of discipline from the players and patrons at the venue.
“All the venues will be branded while the patrons will be entertained with music, along with giveaways. However, we at Banks DIH will be expecting a high level of discipline from both the players and patrons who will be admitted free at all matches.
When we hosted the two tournaments in Georgetown, we did not at anytime ever have to call on the law enforcement officers who were present, as we had a well behaved crowd and certainly we expect the same from you in Region 10.”
Joao further said that Velle Sporting Company, who is known for supplying sporting gear throughout the Caribbean, has agreed to partner with Banks DIH to supply the players with the respective playing apparel branded with the Guinness brand.
Giving an outline of the tournament, Sharma Solomon, who, along and Caeron Sealey, is working behind the scenes to organise the tournament, said he was privileged to be a part of such a historic event, while at the same time pledging to make it a bigger success in comparison to Georgetown’s two tournaments.
“We are aware of the success story behind the two tournaments that were held in Georgetown and I know we can make this one a bigger success, since Banks DIH, who is a company committed to excellence, is behind us all the way.
With that in mind, we are making this tournament a Region 10, and not just a Linden thing, as we are looking to give everyone a chance to compete, ensuring a high level of competition is played, with the discovering of talent being of serious consideration,” stated Solomon.
Apart from the $450 000 first prize which goes along with a trophy, the second-, third- and fourth-placed teams will pocket $250 000, $150 000 and $75 000 respectively, while players from all participating teams will be the recipients of hampers, compliments of Banks DIH and Guinness.
According to Solomon, six wards within the mining town of Linden were looked at, with priority being given to eight teams including Top Class and Minibus Crew and while the remaining teams were selected as the response was overwhelming, some were regrettably turned away.
The matches will be played on a round robin basis, with the top two teams from the four groups advancing to the knockout stage of the competition, whose matches will be hosted across the region, with Amelia’s Ward, Silvercity, New Silvercity and Christianburg Hardcourts, along with the Wisroc and Georgetown Car Parks being the venues listed.
“With the use of these venues, teams from time to time will be having home advantage, since they will be competing in their own backyard, while the final will be a Mackenzie/Wismar affair, based on the fixtures as no two teams from the same zone will meet in the final,” said Solomon.
The tournament gets under way tomorrow at the Wisroc Park, with a Georgetown Guinness Unit opposing a Linden Guinness Unit in an exhibition matchup, following a brief opening ceremony where Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony is expected to kick off the tournament at 18:00 h.