THE MACKESON ‘Keep Your Five Alive’ Street Football tournament was yesterday launched at the Ansa McAl Headquarters under the theme: ‘Your skill, your style, your five, your Stout” with the aim of continuing to unearth hidden talents within communities.

The competition is in its third year and will feature 48 teams from Georgetown with participation being encouraged from teams on the East Coast and East Bank and will be played on a knockout basis at several venues with the surviving team pocketing $300 000 and trophy and the second-placed team taking home $150 000 and trophy.
This is according to coordinator, Kevin Adonis, who informed the media at the launch, yesterday, of ongoing arrangements to host the event, adding that the concept was designed to test the skill and fitness levels of players with a strong focus on endurance.
“This is about keeping your five alive throughout the competition, meaning that the team, which stays on its feet the longest, will ultimately, win. It encourages each community to select the best five players to have a serious chance of winning,” Adonis said.
The Mackeson Real Smooth ‘Keep Your Five Alive’ football competition will be held May 1-25 at venues such as the the National Cultural Centre tarmac, Sophia ‘C’ Field Market Square, California Square, East Ruimveldt, and Punt Trench and School Street, Albouystown, for a total of eight playing days.
The coordinator asked that eight names be submitted for each team since only then replacements will be allowed from the registration list. Each game will last for 15 minutes; 7½ minutes per half with no extra time allowed in the preliminary rounds if the game is drawn after regulation time; a penalty shootout will decide the team to move forward to the next round.
However, extra time will be allowed in the final game; six minutes and three minutes for each of the teams. Teams, and players, were reminded that there will be a zero-tolerance attitude towards issues of indiscipline as the tournament is aimed at development.
Mackeson Brand coordinator Jamaal Douglas told the media that Mackeson is happy to have its brand associated with community-based sports, in this instance, football. He believes that it is the grassroots projects that unearth future talent stars in sport.
“We decided to pick up this tournament so we could embrace communities through football. It is a way of us being there from the beginning of the creation of maybe the next big football star and we want to be there,” Douglas said, adding it shows corporate responsibility.
Public Relations Officer at Ansa McAl, Darshanie Yusuf, encouraged players to put out their best performance. She said that the tournament is structured to be a challenge, therefore, only the best teams will advance to become the last five alive for the top prize.