Several of the island’s top youth football teams and academies will match forces next month at the Usain Bolt Complex during the inaugural Mavericks Sports Club’s NextGeN Cup.
The one-day tournament, scheduled to take place on June 13, is powered by CIBC Caribbean and VISA, who have pumped $50, 000 into the competition.
Speaking during Friday’s launch at the Usain Bolt Complex, Technical Director at Mavericks, Carlos Jackman said the event will be free to the public and promises high quality youth football action and entertainment.
He said several leading clubs including Paradise, St Philip Academy, Potential Ballers, Kickstart, Pro Shottas, FM Four Pillars, First Touch and Technique will take part in the event.
Jackman revealed the motivation behind staging the competition.
“We wanted to create an environment for those young people to showcase their skills, but also in a secure and positive environment so they can feel comfortable.
“Additionally, having players at that young age participating in front of such a big crowd that we expect to have also builds character,” Jackman said.
Being a youth tournament, no prize money will be up for grabs. However, participants will compete for trophies and equipment for their clubs.
Despite that, Jackman said he expected the standard of play will be extremely high.
“I expect it will go even beyond the standard of the Prime Minister’s Cup. The academies that are involved and the youth clubs that are involved, the coaches work tirelessly with them, so I know that they will have a good showing. I expect the standard to be very, very high.
“Of course they’ll still be in their development stages, so you might not see the refined skills that you may find at the Prime Minister’s Cup, but the standard I expect to be still very high,” he said.
Country Head of CIBC Caribbean, Victor Boyce said the event has the power to transform young lives.
“CIBC Caribbean and VISA are delighted to partner with our friends at Mavericks Sports Club to host this special youth football tournament.
We believe sports are more than just mere games, but vehicles for opportunity, growth and empowerment. Especially for young people who may not otherwise have access to structured activities or mentorship,” Boyce added.
Boyce noted that last year, the bank through its trust foundation also signed a four-year memorandum of understanding with the Athletics Association of Barbados, where it pledged $400, 000 to support the junior national athletics development program.
“Some of the success we saw at the recently concluded CARIFTA Games is that investment starting to bear fruit. We believe that the additional $50, 000 CIBC Caribbean and Visa have committed to youth, sport and development, this time to the Mavericks youth Football tournament, will make a meaningful difference for the young participants,” he said.
Project Coordinator with Mavericks Sports Club Inc, Janice Boyce explained that the event is the focal point of a wider collaboration between the club, CIBC Caribbean and VISA.
(KH)
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