THE Pele Football Club will today officially kick off their third annual Frank Watson and Gregory ‘PT Stewart’ Thorne Memorial Under-15 and Under-17 knock-out football tournaments, at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground from 09:30 hrs.Matches will be played on the weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and will involve Western Tigers, Riddim Squad, Santos, Camptown, Black Water, GFC, Fruta Conquerors, Beacons, Houston Stars, Black Pearl, Renaissance and hosts Pele.

The top two finishers will receive trophies and medals and the tournament’s best goalkeeper, best defender and most valuable player (MVP) will also receive prizes.
Each participating team will be outfitted by the organiser and will receive text books and uniform vouchers for the top two teams.
President of Pele FC, John Yates, at the launching of the tournament, had also mentioned that special prizes will be given to players who achieved high performances in the 2014 school year, stressing that “it’s important to note that great emphasis will be placed on the academic performance of the players who will participate in this tournament”.
Watson was Pele’s first president. He was 23 years old when he died in a plane crash on December 23, 1973. He was a co-pilot.
The former Thomas United youth player and later Pele FC dapper would oftentimes be the subject of many discussions as he is often referenced whenever an example is needed about how a player could balance academia and sports and still excel on the football field.
The former striker’s legacy would live on through one of two sons; Clyde ‘Oiler’ Watson, who was also a forward with a distinguished career representing Guyana.
Thorne – most persons would popularly remember him as, ‘PT Stewart’ – was a starter on Guyana’s senior National team that played the first World Cup game at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground in 1976.
As a member of Pele FC during the club’s golden era, Thorne’s input to the team and football in Guyana was unmatched.