For the fourth consecutive year, New GPC, under their Limacol brand, will be the chief sponsor of the Limacol Football tournament which gives senior teams a chance to showcase talents.
Over $750,000 in cash and prizes has been injected into the fourth edition of the annual event, which brings the best of the best non-elite football teams together for weeks of riveting competition.
This year’s tournament will see participation from 12 teams, eight of which hail from Georgetown, two are from the East Coast of Demerara, one is from the Demerara West Coast, and one is from the Demerara East Bank.
Speaking on behalf of the organising body, Troy Mendonca of the Petra Organisation noted that while corporate entities may not necessarily have any direct returns from hosting tournaments, the reward comes in giving youths a platform to showcase their talent.
“There are a lot of times when companies might not be able to actually measure what they get out of it, but we create young leaders and athletes, and it builds their character. This tournament alone would engage over 250 youths,” Mendonca explained.
Mendonca also expressed gratitude to the pharmaceutical company on behalf of the coordinating body and the wider football fraternity.
“We continue to praise New GPC for coming on board with us; and on behalf of Petra and the entire football fraternity, we want to say a big ‘thank you!’,” Mendonca stated.
The teams that will have a chance to vie for the $400,000 grand prize are: GFC, Pele, Camptown, Northern Rangers, Black Pearl, Beacon, Riddim Squad, Pouderoyen, Grove Hi Tech, Mahaica Determinators and Buxton Stars.
Meanwhile, GT Panthers and Eastveldt will have a play-off for the twelfth spot.
Citing New GPC’s co-ownership of the Guyana Amazon Warriors team, Company Director Zulfikar Ali stressed the company’s continued involvement in sport, and revealed his hopes for Guyana’s future in football.
“We pay a lot of emphasis on sport in Guyana, and football is one of the sports that we see having a lot of opportunities and room for growth. We hope that one day, when our national team can qualify for the World Cup and maybe win that World Cup, we would have played a part in the early development stages, to groom our young footballers to raise their standards of play in a tournament that will give them experience and confidence to go further,” Ali explained.
He also expressed the New GPC’s commitment to assisting in the development of Guyanese athletes, especially in the football arena.
The Limacol Football Tournament is expected to kick off next Saturday, August 31, at the Ministry of Education Ground on Carifesta Avenue.
The teams will participate in the round-robin group stage before advancing to the quarterfinals, semis and the final showdown. With a new champion set to be crowned, the twelve teams will be battling for a $400,000 first prize, while second place will walk away with $200,000. Third and fourth places will pocket $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. (Jemima Holmes)
