NAMILCO U17 National Academy playoff commences next Saturday

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 National Academy Playoff is back for another season of thrilling football from the country’s future male stars.
The academy playoff will be rolled out through the GFF’s Academy Training Centers, and will kick off on Saturday, October 7, at the National Training Centre (NTC) at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
At yesterday’s simple launching ceremony, which was held at NAMILCO Headquarters at Agricola, East Bank Demerara, the company’s Marketing Supervisor Alicia Anderson reiterated the company’s commitment to supporting grassroots football, and encouraged persons to show their support by attending the games.
“We have come on board again to support football for the Under-17 tournament, which spreads across the length and breadth of Guyana. We want persons to render support to the grassroots players, which is important for their growth and development. We would have seen this ripple effect happening in other sports across Guyana as well,” she said.
Anderson added: “When you support grassroots football… that bit of motivation, the support that the players get playing in front of a crowd, and to hear the shouts, “Run and pass the ball!” or, “Goal!!” it gives them that extra boost that they need to work on their performance, and builds their motivation to perform even better.
“NAMILCO has always been a part of that through our Thunderbolt brand, and we will continue to support football,” she promised.
This year’s playoff will feature teams in Group A – Georgetown, East Coast, East Bank, the National Under-15 and Berbice; and Group B – Upper Demerara, Essequibo, Bartica, and West Demerara.
After a round-robin phase, the best teams from each group will advance to the championship round to compete for the prestigious title of national champion.
GFF Technical Director Bryan Joseph has thanked NAMILCO for their continued support of youth football, and emphasised that collaboration has contributed to the development of young players. He cited Omari Glasgow as a shining example.
Glasgow, who started playing in the Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 League at the age of 14, is now a star player on the Guyana senior men’s national team the Golden Jaguars.
“The GFF is very grateful to NAMILCO for partnering again for another year of under-17 football. When the President Wayne Forde administration took office, NAMILCO was one of the first partners that came on board with a multi-year agreement.
We’ve seen how this partnership has contributed towards the development of our players. The standout person for us would be Omari Glasgow, who was a beneficiary of this competition, playing from as early as 14 years old, and now he is the star of our senior men’s national team.
“And that opportunity was afforded through this partnership with NAMILCO,” Joseph has said.
He noted that the tournament continues to be a fantastic platform for GFF to scout talented players for the junior national teams.
“Our national under-17 boys are going to be involved in international competition in 2024, and this is an opportunity for them to stake a claim to be part of that 23-man squad that is going to represent Guyana at that competition. We want to ensure that we deliver a really good playoff, which is a best-vs-best opportunity for our elite youth players within the Regional Academy across the country,” he explained.
Through strong corporate partnerships, GFF continues to organise exceptional tournaments for young players across the country. The Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 League concludes on November 18.