In the spirit of community youth development, the owners of security company Next Level Consulting Limited (NLCL), Brian K Jordan and Germaine Jordan, have teamed up with Gasparillo Youths' Sandra Pompey to stage the NLCL Under-19 Community Invitational Tournament.
The event is scheduled to run from December 18 to February 2020 with teams from each of the various zones in Trinidad and Tobago vying for a challenge trophy, as well as other awards and prizes.
Understanding that many talented youth footballers leave school before and after CSEC and CAPE examinations and that many are typically over the age of eligibility for the Youth T&T Pro League or Republic Bank Youth Cup competitions, the tournament will seek to provide a platform for these young adults to play more organised football. It will also allow an at-risk population of talented youth footballers an opportunity to play the game they love, organisers said.
Each team will represent their respective communities during the tournament, which will also provide opportunities for them to be scouted by national coaches, as well as schools, universities and professional teams both locally and abroad.
Speaking about the event, Jordan, the NLCL co-owner and PRO, said: "For the first time in many years, T&T's top under-19 footballers will have a platform to showcase their skills outside of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) in the inaugural tournament.
"The organisers will underwrite more than half of the associated costs and have invited other businesses and corporate entities to come on board to invest in our communities and our youth."
The sponsoring companies have also agreed to provide discounted equipment and uniforms to participating teams.
Registration deadline is November 8, while the media launch is tentatively scheduled for December 8.
Apart from the main prizes, there will also be awards for "Most Disciplined Team", "Golden Boot", "Most Outstanding Goalkeeper" and "Most Valuable Player."
For more info call 389-0516 or 495-8302
SOURCE: T&T Guardian