Return to Sporting Paradise, that’s the tagline for the games, as sport event management organisation SW Touring, in association with the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), gets ready to host its third Annual Tobago Invitational Masters Football Tournament.
Teams will be vying for over in US$4,000 in cash prizes, trophies, medals, and undisputed Over-40 football bragging rights for the next 12 months.
The eleven-a-side tournament will run for three days, from November 16 to November 17, 2013. It will be held, at the community-based Carnbee /Mount Pleasant and Plymouth Recreational Grounds. It will feature 14 teams from local, regional and international teams with each team allowed to register 25 players.
Confirmed regional teams include Georgetown Masters (Guyana), Real Old Men (Grenada) and QPR (Grenada) Individual trophies will be awarded in the following categories: leading goal scorer (golden boot), best goal keeper (golden gloves) and most valuable player (MVP).
The second edition had ten teams competing over a two-day period with former St Vincent and the Grenadines prolific striker Kendell Velox leading Juventus of St John’s (Trinidad) to a thrilling tournament finals victory over the hard-fighting Trinidad-based Upstars Masters featuring the likes of former Strike Squad players Leonson Lewis and Dexter Skeene.
“This year our goal was to feature an increase of numbers from ten to 14 teams with a target of four regional/international; four Tobago-based and eight Trinidad-based teams” comments tournament secretariat Leslieann Jobe-Edwards.
She added: “We have met that quota with teams from other Caribbean islands still expressing interesting in being apart of the venture. This is due to our regional-based marketing campaign which began at the beginning of the year.
“Additionally, the top four teams from the 2012 edition of the Tobago Masters football league will be representing the sister isle.”
The tournament is part of a whole package of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA)’s sport tourism initiative to assist with inter- and intra-island transfers to the island through the medium of sports.
Co-hosts SW Touring Ltd and THA aim to foster and develop lasting friendship in a safe, secure and family-oriented environment that showcases true Tobago hospitality whilst providing another avenue to expose and boost the sister isle as the Caribbean’s premier sport-tourism destination
In keeping with the 2013 theme “The Return to Sporting Paradise” the tournament seeks to expose participants and spectators to the unique identity of Tobago’s culture, entertainment and culinary masterpieces.
Fun for the each day is the game plan as the tournament organisers promise sports and entertainment with picong sessions from participants, music from disc jockeys, live commentary from sports personality James Saunders, a well stocked alcoholic bar and a festive food court featuring mouth watering Tobago dishes.
The event is proudly sponsored by Tobago House of Assembly Division of Tourism and Transportation, NLCB, Ministry of Sport, Locozade, Genethics Pharmaceutical and SW Touring Ltd.
Registration for the event is US$650 (for a team of 25 players). Forms are available by e-mailing info@swtouring.com or they can be reached on Facebook at SW Touring.