RBC West Penn football kicks off Saturday

The 2018 season of the RBC Royal Bank West Penn Community Youth Football League kicks off with the traditional Show of Colours at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, on Saturday, starting at 9:15 am.

The official launch will be highlighted by a double-header in the Boys Under-18 and Girls Under-18 divisions, featuring the top performing teams of 2017. Last year’s league and knockout champions, Andrew Trace Fourth Generation, will take on runners-up Goodwood Eagles in the male category, and St. James Youths, league champions, come up against knockout champions, Diego Central, in the female match-up.

So far, a total of 23 teams have registered for the tournament, 17 boys and six girls, with the competitions split in two age groups – Under-18 and Under-15. Tournament Director, Shurland Hartley, said more teams are expected to register in time for the official start of the competitions later this month.

Teams already registered for the boys tournament are: Andrew Race Fourth Generation, Goodwood Eagles, Patna River Estate, Cocorite Stars, North Coast, Trincity Nationals, Carenage Samba, La Puerta/Four Roads, St. Joseph Strikers, St. James Youths, Harvard, Step By Step, Belmont Secondary, Trinity, Petit Valley, Judah United and St. Lucien United.

The girls teams are Diego Central, Corpus Christi, St. James Youths, Trincity Nationals, Success Laventille and Step By Step. Hartley said that while the league started off as a community-building initiative primarily for the youths of the western peninsula, it has expanded over the last couple of years to cater to youths in other parts of Trinidad as a result of its success and pioneering spirit in bringing communities together in wholesome sporting activity.

Hartley lauded RBC Royal Bank for its partnership with West Penn Sports and Culture for the inauguration of the tournament four years ago. For its part, RBC Royal Bank sees its association with the organisation as another example of “making communities prosper.”