118 school teams across Guyana will battle in a high-stakes, straight-knockout tournament following the official launch of the ExxonMobil Guyana Under-18 Schools Football competition in Georgetown on Thursday.
Organised by the Vurlon Mills Football Academy (VMFA), the landmark initiative brings together 68 male and 50 female teams representing eight of the country’s ten administrative regions in one of the largest grassroots school football drives in recent years.
The action kicks off in Bartica on Friday, with the main body of fixtures rolling out across the rest of the country from October 9.
VMFA Director Vurlon Mills explained that the tournament was created to address a critical void facing young athletes as they approach the end of their school careers, establishing a clear pathway into academy, club, and senior football.
“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 competition also places a strong emphasis on academic performance and attendance, ensuring student-athletes remain focused on their development off the pitch as well as on it.
“Football must not exist separately from education,” Mills added.
The Guyana Football Federation has pledged its full backing to the project, with general secretary Pushpargha Chattopadhyay revealing that talent scouts will attend matches to identify promising players for higher-level pathways.
Sponsor ExxonMobil Guyana highlighted the event’s broader social ambition, with community relations supervisor Ryan Hoppie saying the ultimate measure of success would extend beyond individual match results.
“The real victory will be the impact that the tournament creates for young people across Guyana,” Hoppie said, noting that the initiative aims to strengthen local football culture “one school at a time, one community at a time.”
Supported by the Ministry of Education’s Allied Arts Unit and the National Sports Commission, the tournament will bring matches directly to local communities, giving student-athletes a national stage to showcase their skills and press for national selection.
Reflecting on the initiative’s overarching goal, Mills outlined the vision for leaving a lasting imprint on Guyanese sport.
“That is the bridge we are building. That is the opportunity we are creating. And that is the legacy this competition should leave,” Mills said.
Source: NEW ROOMS SITE
