DEFENDING Champions Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will kick off their Guyana Football Federation (GFF) STAG Beer ‘Super 16’ Year-End tournament campaign against the Essequibo Football Association (EFA) select side today at 20:00hrs, when the event officially opens at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground.

After a march past of the participating teams, Buxton United will take on Bartica’s River’s View from 18:00hrs.
First-timers River’s View said they see this as an opportunity to showcase the talent of the young players in their squad, according to head coach Kenneth Edward.

Edward pointed out that the tournament is “a great way to showcase our talent and we are optimistic of progressing past the first round. We have been preparing for about a month now. Our team consists of a number of youth players and one of the players to watch is Handel Norton, who had been a player for the U-17 and U-20 national teams some years ago.”

Buxton United have other plans as their intention is to remain competitive and progress to the final. The club’s head coach Herbert McPherson noted, “We have been actively training for the past month and we believe in ourselves to give a good representation throughout the tournament.

“This is a knockout tournament so the players have this in mind as they face River’s View. While this team is a first-timer, no team must be taken lightly and I know the team will come prepared for a good game.”

Meanwhile, the feature match promises to be keenly contested, as the GDF FC come up against another first-timer, Essequibo Coast/Pomeroon Football Association Select Team.
“There is a lot of talent available in the Essequibo /Pomeroon FA where football is the dominant sport. We have selected a competitive team and look to not only give a spirited display but also provide a ground for more exposure for our players to a high-quality team such as the GDF FC.

Win or lose tomorrow, we hope to win in the long-term,” according to Essequibo Coast/Pomeroon FA’s Technical Director, Travis Bowen.
The tournament winners will walk away with $2M, a trophy and equipment. The second-placed team will receive $1M, trophy and equipment, and third place will get $500 000 trophy and equipment while the fourth-placed team will collect a trophy and equipment.

The tournament will conclude with the grand final on January 1 at a venue to be announced. Admission to all matches is as follows: $500 (to end of the quarterfinals stage), $1 000 (semi- finals) and $1 500 for the final.