THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the National Milling Company (NAMILCO) Thunderbolt Flour Power under-17 National Academy Playoff is back for another season of thrilling football from the country’s future male stars.
The academy playoff will be rolled out through the GFF Academy Training Centres (ATC), and will kick off on Saturday, October 7 at the National Training Centre in Providence, East Bank Demerara.

At yesterday’s simple launch ceremony, which was held at NAMILCO headquarters on the East Bank Demerara, Company Marketing Supervisor Alicia Anderson reiterated their commitment to supporting grassroots football, and encouraged persons to show their support by attending the games.
“We have come on board again to support football for the under-17 tournament, which spreads across the length and breadth of Guyana. We want persons to render support to the grassroots players, which is important for growth and development. We would have seen this ripple effect happening in other sports across Guyana as well,” Anderson said, adding:
“When you support grassroots football, that bit of motivation; the support that the players get playing in front of a crowd, and to hear the shouts of ‘Run and pass the ball!’, or ‘Goal!’, it gives them that extra boost that they need to work on their performance, and build their motivation to perform even better. NAMILCO has always been a part of that, through our Thunderbolt brand, and we will continue to support football.”

This year’s playoff will feature teams in Group A: Georgetown, East Coast, East Bank, the National Under-15, and Berbice; and Group B: Upper Demerara, Essequibo, Bartica, and West Demerara.

After a round-robin phase, the best teams from each group will advance to the championship round, competing for the prestigious title of national champions.
GFF Technical Director Bryan Joseph thanked NAMILCO for their continued support of youth football, and emphasised that the collaboration has contributed to the development of young players, citing Omari Glasgow as a shining example.

Glasgow, who started playing in the Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 League at the age of 14, is now a star player on Guyana’s Senior Men’s National Team.
He noted that the tournament continues to be a fantastic platform for the GFF to scout out talented players for the junior national teams.
The Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 League concludes on November 18.