Republic Cup kicks off tomorrow

OVER $150,000 in prizes and the Republic Cup will be at stake in this year’s Republic Cup Youth Football Tournament which gets underway in four categories at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, tomorrow. Republic’s manager group corporate communications Anna Maria Garcia-Brooks said, her bank in partnership with All Sport Promotions has attempted  to make the tournament more enjoyable, beneficial and relevant to participant. In this regard, assistance was given in the structure of teams, fund-raising, and the introduction of a girls division, and the condensing of age groups and zones to increase competitiveness. She also said it is Republic’s intention to launch a similar competition in neighbouring Grenada.

Garcia-Brooks said there has been continuing growth in the competition which has seen the number of teams increase from 100 in 1996 to 241 this year. For the first timer, there will be four Special Olympian divisions in addition to the Boys 13 and Under, 15 and Under, 17 and Under and Girls 17 and Under categories. She noted that the quality of football in the Republic Cup cannot be questioned, since 22 players on the 2001 Trinidad and Tobago Under-17 World Youth Cup squad were products of the tournament. Garcia-Brooks said: “Republic Cup continues to evolve, we promise to continue through innovation to make it even more relevant to the needs of the youth football fraternity in Trinidad and Tobago and in the wider Caribbean.” Republic Bank pledged $40 million over the next five years through their “Power to Make a Difference” community out-reach programme.

Sixty scholarships to the Republic Cup Youth Football Camp during the  Easter vacation worth a total of $100,000 will go to the pick of the crop as the bank seeks to refine the natural talent found in the players, in the hope of developing more footballers like Dwight Yorke, Russell Latapy, Stern John and Shaka Hislop. Apart from trophies, each player in the first and second placed teams will receive gold and silver medals, and Right Start Accounts will be given to all players in the zonal finals in addition to individual awards for the Most Valuable, Most Disciplined and Most Promising Players.