Teams to receive playing kit today

…Tournament admission free up to semis

The Kashif and Shangai Organization will today be presenting the 24 teams taking part in this year’s Kashif and Shangai/Chico Inter-Secondary Schools football tournament with footballs and uniforms at 11:00hrs at the Ministry of Education, Carifesta Avenue ground.

The tournament kicks off on December 8th and concludes on 1st January 2014, where the winner will receive $1.2M, 75% of which will go towards a project identified by the school’s administration and the other 25% will be in the form of educational materials and literature. The tournament will be free for all school children with or without a ticket up to the semi-finals.
This tournament, which Co-Director of the K&S Organization, Kashif Muhammad, views as a challenge, will see the top eight schools from this year’s DIGICEL nationwide football tournament, including double-crowned champions Wismar/Christianburg Secondary, battle for supremacy, with the final being played at the Guyana National Stadium on New Year’s Day.
The second, third, and fourth-placed teams will pocket prize monies of $750 000, $500 000 and $250 000 respectively, with 25% going towards a project identified by the school, at the completion of the 24-team tournament.
In addition, the winning team will receive a trophy, medallions and 25 replicas and the second and third-placed teams will receive trophies and 25 silver and bronze medallions respectively, with the fourth-placed team receiving a trophy, while the MVP will receive a laptop and an overseas assignment with a club in Trinidad and Tobago.
Along with Wismar/Christianburg Secondary, the other top eight schools in the Digicel Schools tourney, Waramadong, Covent Garden, St George’s, Leonora, Bladen Hall, Ash Educational Trust and Lodge Secondary have all earned a bye to the next round.
This means that Wisburg, New Silvercity and Mackenzie High from Linden, East Ruimveldt, North Georgetown, Queen’s College, Dolphin, Christ Church and Queenstown out of Georgetown and Stewartville, Uitvlugt, Patentia of West Demerara will do battle in the first round.
Also clashing in the first round are President’s College, Ann’s Grove and Annandale Secondary, who will be representing the East Coast of Demerara, and Friendship Secondary from the East Bank, where the losers will exit the tournament while the winners go on to face the top eight schools that have been given the bye.
“We go forward offering the assurances that our young footballers will enjoy conditions no less favourable than those that have been enjoyed by the senior players over the years; except, of course, that we intend to treat this event as part of the process of helping to provide the youngsters with a rounded education,” said Muhammad at the launching.
Several business entities such as Ansa McAl Limited, Mohammed’s Enterprise, Bakewell, Cell Phone Shack, Demerara Harbor Bridge, Edward B. Beharry Group of Companies, Bushy Park Sawmill and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, have thrown their support behind this year’s action.

(Calvin Roberts)