By Rawle Toney
THE GFF/Kashif & Shanghai year-end Super-16 tournament will officially kick off on Sunday, December 12 at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground and conclude on January 1, 2022 at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora.

Matches will also be played on December 17 (Buxton), December 19 (Leonora), December 22 (Linden), December 25 (Buxton), December 26 (Linden) and December 29 (GFC).

Prize money will be announced at a subsequent press conference with other details.

The 16 teams will come from a preliminary tournament that will be played at the regional association level across Guyana, with clubs from eight of nine associations competing for places in the final 16.

At the end of the preliminary tournament which will also involve the Elite League Clubs, five clubs from Georgetown, two from the East Coast and Linden, along with one each from Bartica, Essequibo, ‘West Side’, East Bank and Berbice will be vying for the title.

An Indigenous All-Star and Rupununi All-Star teams will make up the 16 teams that will be hoping to cash in on the lucrative tournament.

Wayne Forde, president of the GFF, said the federation had partnered with the Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Organisation to stage a year-end futsal competition in 2018 and the memorable 2020 ‘Bounce Back’ tournament at the national stadium.

“K&S has a long track record of organising highly engaging and successful football events, which are vital for the development of football in terms of increasing participation among players, officials, coaches and fans, as well as driving much-needed private and public sector investment in the game,” Forde said.

Forde said the GFF is looking forward “to working with the K&S Organisation again on this important milestone in our return to play, plans and, indeed, on future projects together.”

The federation’s president lamented that “the GFF is committed to working with all our stakeholders to ensure we harness the best expertise available to drive the development of football for all. Collaborative, positive partnerships like these are crucial in laying a sustainable foundation for the future of football and our young talent”.

Meanwhile, it was noted that only vaccinated players, officials and fans will be given access to playing venues on match days.