SIXTEEN teams, hailing from the ‘West Side’ of Demerara, will be aiming to claim the $300 000 first place prize up for grabs when the Guinness Street Football Challenge competition kicks off on Saturday at Pouderoyen. It is the first time the competition which has swept the nation by storm will be played on the ‘West Side’ and according to tournament coordinator Travis Bess, teams are more than overwhelmed and excited to showcase their talent in the country’s biggest street football tournament.

The tournament runs through to February 7 and will also be played at the Vergenoegen Rice Mill tarmac. Second-place team will pocket $150 000, third-placers $100 000 and fourth-placers $75 000. There’s also a $50 000 incentive for the team adjudged the ‘Fair Play top performer’.
Lee Baptiste, Guinness Brand Manager, speaking at the launching yesterday in the boardroom of Banks DIH at Thirst Park, said that his company is happy to deliver as promised and to keep its mandate to ensure that the Guinness Street Football Challenge tournament becomes a national event.
The West Side tournament, Baptiste said, will truly be a tournament that will unite the various communities in Region #3 since the teams will come from the respective villages.
“We want to let the people of the West Side know that Guinness is with you in 2015!” exclaimed Banks DIH Public Relation Officer Troy Peters.
Peters explained that the tournament should be taken seriously by the participating teams, since it affords the top two finishers a spot in the National Championship and also a shot at representing Guyana in the Guinness Street Football Challenge Caribbean Championship later this year.
Meanwhile, Bess explained that the teams will be placed in four groups and after a round-robin format, the top two teams from each group will go into the knockout stage.
When the tournament opens on Saturday, Golden Star will oppose Brothers United in the first game followed by De Kinderen United versus Vergenoegen All-Stars. Patentia Street Ballers will then tackle Raiders, Majee will go head-to-head with Demerara Speed Boat Service and Young Warriors will face Jetty.
West Side Ballers versus Pouderoyen Show Stoppers, Admiral United versus Den Amstel FC and Uitvlugt FC versus Showtime are the other games set for the opening day.

(By Rawle Toney)