(Kaieteur News) – The Vurlon Mills Football Academy (VMFA) has officially launched the ExxonMobil Guyana U-18 Schools Football Tournament, with a record 118 male and female school teams set to compete in a nationwide straight-knockout competition.
The tournament, launched yesterday at Cara Lodge, will bring together 68 male and 50 female teams from eight of Guyana’s 10 administrative regions, making it one of the country’s largest grassroots school football initiatives in recent years.
Competition kicks off Friday, October 2, in Bartica, before the wider programme gets underway across the other participating areas from October 9.
From left: Tyrone Tyrrell, Pushpargha Chattopadhyay, Ryan Hoppie, Vurlon Mills and Franklin Wilson following the presentation of ExxonMobil’s sponsorship cheque.
The scale of the tournament has been made possible through a major investment from ExxonMobil Guyana, which has backed the initiative as part of its commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for young people and strengthening community development through sport.
VMFA Director Vurlon Mills said the tournament was conceived to address a critical gap in the development pathway for young footballers as they approach the end of their school and youth careers.
“We cannot allow a young player to reach the end of his or her youth football journey and ask, ‘What happens next?’” Mills said. “That is the gap, this competition seeks to address.”
The tournament is intended to establish a pathway linking school football with academy and club football and, ultimately, the senior game, while reinforcing the importance of education.
Representatives of several participating schools pose with the championship trophy and officials during the launch of the ExxonMobil U18 School’s Football tournament.
Mills said academics and school attendance were considered important components of the initiative from its inception.
“Football must not exist separately from education,” he stated.
Nicholas Fraser of the Ministry of Education’s Allied Arts Unit welcomed the initiative, noting that school football in Guyana is at an all-time high and describing the tournament as another important addition to the country’s schools football landscape.
Guyana Football Federation General Secretary Pushpargha Chattopadhyay also pledged the Federation’s support and revealed that talent scouts will attend matches throughout the tournament.
He said the competition could provide opportunities for promising young players to be identified and advance within the national football development system.
Meanwhile, ExxonMobil Guyana Community Relations Supervisor Ryan Hoppie said the tournament’s broader impact on young people would be more significant than the results on the field.
“The real victory will be the impact that the tournament creates for young people across Guyana,” Hoppie declared.
Hoppie said the initiative is helping to strengthen Guyana’s football culture “one school at a time, one community at a time,” with its success ultimately measured by the opportunities created, students inspired and stronger football foundations established across the country.
Assistant Director of Sport Franklin Wilson also addressed the launch, highlighting the importance of creating meaningful developmental opportunities for young athletes.
Beyond the competition itself, the tournament will take football directly into communities, giving families, schools and supporters an opportunity to become part of the action while allowing young players to represent their schools on a national platform.
Mills thanked the teachers, coaches and other stakeholders supporting the participating players and expressed appreciation to ExxonMobil Guyana for investing in a vision that extends beyond competition.
Source: Kaieteur News
