MINISTER of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr has signaled his Ministry’s support for the 6th Annual KFC Goodwill football Tournament set for later.
The 2025 KFC Goodwill U-18 International Schools Football Tournament takes place from December 14–21 at the Ministry of Education ground.
The ministry will support a cultural presentation as well as offer other support for the arriving teams and the competition as was revealed yesterday when the two bodies held a press conference.
Director of the Petra Organisation Troy Mendonca said, “Today is a very Special day for us, because it signifies Corporate Guyana and Government of Guyana coming together to deliver one of the most unique sporting events within the Caribbean. We are very proud to know the minister would have given us the opportunity. This tournament belongs to Guyana and it is very important for us and the government come together to do this because I don’t think it has ever happened in the Caribbean and it is a good opportunity for us to showcase what we can do for citizens of Guyana.”
Minister within the Ministry of Sport, Steven Jacobs outlined the benefits of such a competition on the country’s shores, saying, ‘To have this public private partnership in creating opportunities for our young sports men and women, in particular football is important. Many people would say football is the most popular sport in Guyana. We see a lot of interest in football and to have it from the grass root level and having an organisation like Petra, who has been successful in organising football and now having a consistent regional tournament is very important, so we have a premier schools football tournament in Guyana and that says a lot in terms of what we are doing for sports and what the government is doing for sports in terms of investment. From a government perspective we will continue to support.”
Minister Charles Ramson Jr commended Petra for the work over the years in youth football development and outlined the ministry’s support.
‘When you have a lot of distracted young people, it means the pool of talent shrinks and that is why in youth sports particularly where schools are concerned, this tournament is unique. This is our schools Champions League and our involvement is to secure Guyana’s consistent hosting. We want to build this tournament to become a regional championship tournament and we want to do this in the best possible way moving forward. So, the ministry will have a strong role in its organisation moving forward because of its potential for growth in something special,’ Ramson said.
The winning team from the ongoing Republic bank Secondary Schools League along with the second-placed side will earn the right to face teams from Suriname, Brazil, Jamaica and Trinidad in the KFC Goodwill International football series set for December.
The teams are Montiero Lobato School from Boa-Vista Brazil, Kingston College – Jamaica, Anglican Central Educational Authority (ACEA) – Bahamas, Defending Champions Chase Academic Foundation, Annai Secondary-Region Nine along with the Winner or Runner-up of the League.