BOUYED by the national Ladies’ qualification for the Pan Am Challenge Cup scheduled for later this year, the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB), in collaboration with Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GT&T), has invited junior players from Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados to participate in a two-fold tournament from July 31 to August 4.

According to secretary of the board, Tricia Fiedtkou, who met with Kaieteur Sport yesterday, the tournaments, which will be known as the GT&T Caribbean Kids Hockey Festival, will be played outdoors and indoors, at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground and the National Gymnasium respectively.
Fiedtkou, who, along with vice-president Ivor Thompson, attended the meeting disclosed that the tournament will engage players between the ages of 13 and 19 and has been organised as part of the GHB’s development plan to get more players involved and exposed at the same time.
Barbados arrive on July 29 and are using the tour for their own developmental purpose as well as offering the kids the opportunity to see Guyana.
They will be sending 23 players between the ages of 13 and 16 since, according to Fiedtkou, like Guyana, the country is now attempting to implement a vibrant junior system, adding that the teams will also use the opportunity to experience outdoor hockey.
Trinidad and Tobago on the other hand are among the leading teams in the sport within the Caribbean with a strong system at perhaps every level and are expected to provide a stern test for the other two teams.
It was reported that they will be sending 16 players, comprising both male and female as well as players from schools and clubs.
The GHB secretary informed that the Festival could very well be the first of its kind in the Region at this level and they are hoping that it becomes an annual event.
The outdoor segment of the Festival will be held on Wednesday and Thursday from 09:00hrs to 16:00hrs, while the indoor activities will be staged between 13:00hrs and 21:00hrs.
Fiedtkou also announced that the visitors will be taken on tours of famous sites and buildings within Georgetown as part of experiencing the culture of the country.
Hockey has been making a strong resurgence locally and many of the country’s top players at both the junior and senior levels have travelled to Trinidad and Tobago and performed creditably in their matches.