MORE than 3 000 students from approximately 160 schools are expected to participate in this year’s 2013 Digicel Annual Schools Football Championships.

It is indeed heartening to see Digicel joining forces with beverage manufacturing giant Banks DIH and its PowerAde brand to launch the impressive third annual Nationwide Secondary Schools Football Championships. The success of this championships is a must with the unflinching support of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
This football programme is challenging for the youths and it will give them an opportunity to play competitive football while at school.
The time is most opportune when sport administrators must recognise that raw talent and potential are not enough for our sportsmen and sportswomen.
Hence, our sportsmen/sportswomen with discipline and academic achievement will be able to analyse and be more competitive and take on real challenge with the ability to make analysis and play more scientifically.
Students must be qualified to play and represent their schools. Our teachers must ensure that one of the rules for selection must be regular attendance at school. We must arrive at a time where percentage pass marks must also be a criterion for the registering of schools.
Students must recognise that Universal Primary Education is compulsory and secondary education is a must in our country. Our students must be able to study and play with some passion.  Students must have the ability to do their academic studies and also be involved in extra curriculum activities.
The Digicel School Championships is a programme for others to emulate. For this year’s championships, the referees had a seminar and there was also a two-day Coaching Session with teachers and coaches of various schools. Most significant was the intensive coaching session for the students who will be participating in this year’s championships. Such training and exposure will enable all stakeholders to have knowledge in the game of Football.
The students and teachers’ coaching sessions were clear that all who are in the game must know the game. This tournament is not only for competition but to bring full awareness of the game of Football.
Our students are now given an opportunity to write Sport as a subject at the CXC Examination. They need to know the rules and the basics of playing two specific sport disciplines. This will give our students an opportunity to learn and know about two sport disciplines thoroughly. As a result all our students will not become elite sportsman/sportswoman.  However, we will have good sport journalists, referees, coaches, umpires, scorers and above all great sports administrators.
According to the organisers all systems are in place and it is therefore anticipated that the running of this year’s competition will be above board.
The tournament, like the Coca Cola Schools Football Competition which was sponsored by Banks DIH, will be the precursor to the Inter-Guiana Games Tournament, which Guyana in the past, dominated Suriname and French Guiana.
With the stretch across the country and the level of officiating, Guyana’s Inter-Guiana Games Football teams will reclaim their glorious days. This school’s football tournament will give the students an opportunity to play for their school and then look forward for possible selection to play for their country in the Inter-Guiana Games.
The tournament has not yet started but interest and commitment are evident and are felt in the air.  The display of the uniforms which will be used by the school and the trophies to be won were an intense promotion.
The facts that students, teachers, coaches and referees were all given special training and preparation will lead to the success of the Championships.
Schools, football-loving fans and as a matter of fact, all Guyanese must turn out in their numbers at the Games, not only to support their schools, but to exhibit your approval for Digicel’s effort in the development of youth football in Guyana.
A special appeal was made for the media to give adequate coverage to the Games.  Hence, the sponsors who need the mileage and the students will all be motivated when reading the newspapers.
Sports is a must!  Organised sports in schools and the communities will certainly help to build a healthier and disciplined lifestyle.  Hence, our younger generation needs such exposure and opportunities to develop into real good Guyanese.
Let’s rally behind this well organised school football championships.