Hundreds of young footballers would assemble at the Hasely Crawford Stadium Training Field, Mucurapo today, all eager to net goals and showcase their skills at the AJI (Attin-Johnson Initiative) 3v3 Kids Soccer Tournament. Kick-off time is 9.30 am.
The Attin-Johnson Initiative (AJI) founder, former Trinidad and Tobago Women’s team captain Maylee Attin-Johnson, anticipates that the fourth edition of the tournament will again be brimming with goals and clever football tricks.
“The overall skills and goalscoring displays at our previous tournaments have been highly entertaining and augurs well for the future of football in the country,” said Attin-Johnson.
“It’s a healthy sign,” she added, “for those who choose to play for fun or as a means of fighting obesity or who may seek to advance their desire towards representing Trinidad and Tobago and eventually earn a living playing professionally in one of the big leagues around the globe.”
The 31-year-old said that demand to participate in this year’s competition has far exceeded the expanded limit of 64 teams.
“We had to cap it at that to ensure all matches - from the group round-robin through to the knockout phase and respective finals, culminate by 4 pm,” she said.
The tournament caters to the following categories: Boys - Under-15, Under-13 and Under-11; and Girls Under-15 and Under-11. Both boys and girls will be allowed to compete together among Under-8 teams.
Originally published in the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday