THE seventh edition of the Milo Schools Football tournament will see an increase of six teams from 18 to 24 teams when the tournament gets underway next weekend.

In a provisional list revealed at the launching, several private institutions have been omitted from the tournament including multiple-time champions Chase Academic Foundation.

According to co-director of the Petra Organisation, Troy Mendonca, this is due to the fact that they (private institutions) build teams by taking players from other schools instead of using their own talent

Meanwhile, commenting on the increase in school teams from 18 to 24, Mendonca added that teams view the event as a fair playing-field where any team can emerge victorious.

Beepats Distributors, through its Nestle Milo brand, is the title sponsor for the event for the seventh year running, and the product’s brand manager Shellona David noted that the Nestle brand is proud to be associated with the event which is well-organised.

She further stated, “We (Beepats) hope that the event continues to run smoothly as it has during the past years and that all the teams come out with their usual competitiveness to make the event a bigger success.”

Mendonca said, “The contribution that Beepats has made in the revival of school football has been tremendous.

On behalf of Petra, GFF (Guyana Football Federation), GTU (Guyana Teachers Union) and the players, we want to extend our sincere gratitude for the valuable contribution over the past six years. We (Petra) will work with all stakeholders to make this tournament bigger and better as we move forward.”

The GFF’s technical department will be on hand to offer assistance to teams and help identify potentially talented youths during the tournament.

Speaking on behalf of football’s governing body, technical director Bryan Joseph said, “The GFF is very pleased to be a facilitator of football development in any phase. The Petra group has done tremendous work in football development in Guyana and the partnership with Beepats is something the GFF has modelled for its various youth tournaments.”

The tournament kicks off next Saturday at Ministry of Education (MoE) ground on Carifesta Avenue and will conclude on April 14.

After two months of heated clashes in the group round-robin format/knockout format, the champions will pocket $500 000, second $300 000 and third place $200 000, all towards a project of the school’s choice.