The stars of the 2005 RBTT-sponsored Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) InterCol tournament have the chance to be selected on a Trinidad and Tobago schoolboys All-Star team which will tour Jamaica for a two-match series against a Jamaican All-Star selection.
That was one of two main initiatives announced at the launch of this year's competition yesterday at the Chancellor Hotel, St Ann's.
At the function, two teams were allowed to permanently keep the InterCol trophies after achieving the feat of winning the title for three consecutive years.
Malick girls' captain Sabrina Frederick lifted the trophy for her team, while Lester Peltier did the same for boys' champions St Anthony's College.
It was also announced that the Most Valuable male and female player will win US $1,000 apiece courtesy RBTT.
SSFL president Ewing Davis announced that this year they had added to the InterCol excitement by including teams from the Senior Division in the competition.
"This year, the RBTT InterCol kicks off on Monday, October 31 because of the adjustment of teams in zones from eight teams to seven teams. The League will include leading non-championship senior teams to play InterCol football this year and its final game will be contested on Saturday, November 26," said Davis.
It was also revealed that RBTT will pump some $300,000 into this year's InterCol.
Delivering the feature address was Wayne Kangaloo, assistant general manager commercial banking at RBTT Ltd. He gave his company's commitment to schools football.
"For seven years, we have been supporting InterCol, which is arguably the most popular secondary schools sporting event.
InterCol football is very dear to our hearts because we understand that when young people develop a passion for the sport, they also develop positive lasting traits than can be applied across the board in our daily lives," said Kangaloo.
"Discipline, a sense of team spirit, and the will to excel are qualities that combine to shape individuals of character who can make meaningful, enduring contributions to society."
Rudolph Thomas, head coach of Presentation College, Chaguanas, made a plea to the young footballers to pay as much attention to their education as to football.
Had he the power, Thomas said, he would make it mandatory that for a player to represent a national team, they needed to have at least three O-Level passes. He said during school, good students assimilated information and executed it at exam time and it was a similar principle in football.
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