The winning schools from this year’s ExxonMobil Under-14 Boys and Girls School Football Championships received their hard-earned prizes at a presentation ceremony on Thursday at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue.
Bartica Secondary of Region Seven was crowned Girls’ champions, while Chase’s Academic Foundation successfully defended its title in the Boys’ division following the exhilarating finals in July.
The rewards exceeded typical sports accolades, with schools collecting a diverse and practical haul.
This included a water dispenser, a flat-screen television, coolers, backpacks, and crucial school necessities such as shoes, uniforms, textbooks, stationery, and a wide array of football, cricket, volleyball, and basketball gear.
Regarding financial support for school projects, the winners in each category received $400,000.
The runners-up were awarded $200,000, and third and fourth place received $100,000 and $75,000, respectively.
Chase’s Academic Foundation secured a comfortable 4-1 victory over Three Miles Secondary in the Boys’ final. West Ruimveldt claimed the bronze medal, beating Waramuri Secondary 4-1 on penalties in the third-place playoff.
In the Girls’ tournament, Bartica Secondary defeated Chase’s Academic Foundation team 2-0 to win the title. Waramuri Secondary narrowly edged Marian Academy 1-0 to finish third.
Troy Mendonca, Co-Director of the Petra Organisation, reflected on the substantial effort required to manage the competition.
“I want to say that it was hard work from the inception. From meetings with the sponsor, to coordinating the tournament, all the different logistics,”
Despite the scale of the logistical challenge, he stressed the competition’s critical role in developing young players for the national setup.
ExxonMobil Community Relations Supervisor, Ryan Hoppie, announced the sponsor’s commitment to youth development by bridging sport and education, specifically Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
“We talk about balance. We’re talking about ensuring that we balance sport with education,” Hoppie stated.
“So, we look at the ‘and’ equation, football and?
The ‘and’ equation is needed to ensure that we have well-rounded students and players who are becoming well-rounded citizens.
He went on to confirm an ambitious new pilot programme.
“We’re also merging sport with STEM, and so, we’ve started to pilot one of our programmes this year that will focus on football and STEM,” Hoppie confirmed.
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