VREED-EN-Hoop Secondary are the first team to advance to the next round of the sixth Digicel Schools football tournament which kicked off yesterday at the Leonora Track and Field Centre on the West Coast of Demerara.The Vreed-en-Hoop side managed to hold their own to down L’Aventure 3-1 on penalties, following a normal time period which ended two-all.

Brian Chapman in the 33rd minute put Vreed-en-Hoop ahead before Shemar Parjohn doubled the lead in the 39th minute from the spot, to end the first half with the team leading.
However, a determined L’Aventure went on the hunt in search of goals and managed their first in the 85th, thanks to Ariel Whoskey. It took an injury-time (90+3) intervention by Dan Boston to send the match to penalties before the Vreed-en-Hoop eventually triumphed.
The winning side opted for a goalie change which resulted in the several key blocks.
Meanwhile, before the game, there was a brief march past followed by a kick-off by Digicel CEO Kevin Kelly, Head of Marketing Jacqueline James, Director of Sport Christopher Jones and other officials.
With over 180 teams expected across the 10 administrative regions of Guyana, no doubt the tournament will have high-intensity matches, according to the telecommunication giant’s Customer Care Head of Department Sherwin Osborne.
“We do expect to receive better competition in that region and in other regions. so we expect high-quality football this year,” he said.
The Digicel representative continued “We expect a higher level than last year and last year our standards had gotten way better. I was up there (in New Amsterdam) on Wednesday and actually saw a pre- tournament to our tournament among schools in New Amsterdam.
With several new schools set to make their debut in this edition including Paruima out of Region 7, this year’s competition is sure to have its own bit of inter-regional fireworks.
“We think from the first year to now, we have seen development in the players as well as players staying in school longer,” Osborne continued, adding, “A couple of gentlemen from the Christiansburg/Wismar Secondary School were in the Top-10 in CSEC exams last year. So we’ve seen success in terms of that.”
Christiansburg/Wismar are the four-time defending champions of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Director of Sport Christopher Jones contended that the tournament transcends the usual boundaries, saying, “Digicel’s football tournament is more than just an inter-school tournament, it’s part and parcel of Guyana’s economic activity on a yearly basis and that is why the government is always interested in supporting the work of Digicel.”
“Not only do our students in all 10 regions have an opportunity to explore various parts of the country but this tournament stimulates economic activity for many of the regions,” Jones added.