Primary school football kicks off
Action from the 2017 GPFL opening rally final between Cayman Prep (blue) and Cayman International School
(GPFL): The always entertaining primary school football returns this weekend. The CUC Girls’ Primary Football League (GPFL) opening rally kicks off the 2018 season on Saturday, 15 September, at the Annex Field in George Town starting at 9am. The boys start their season with the CUC Primary Football League (PFL) opening rally Saturday, 22 September, also at the Annex.
The CUC PFL and GPFL regular seasons will begin on Saturday, 29 September at venues across Grand Cayman.
This Saturday, the girls take centre stage as Cayman Prep defend their 2017 GPFL opening rally title. Last September, the young ladies from Cayman Prep defeated Cayman International School 1-0 in extra time in the final. St Ignatius Catholic School claimed third place after defeating Sir John A. Cumber Primary 2-1 in a thrilling sudden death penalty shoot-out.
Schools scheduled to participate in this year’s girls’ opening rally are Cayman Prep, Cayman International School, St Ignatius Catholic School, Sir John A. Cumber Primary, George Town Primary School, Bodden Town Primary, Triple C School, Savannah Primary and South Sound Schools.
The rallies are designed to give players an opportunity to ready themselves for the rigors of the 10-week regular season following the long summer break. They are exciting, fast-paced one-day tournaments with games being a short 10 minutes per half with no off sides. Games must end with a winner. If games are tied at the end of the 20 minutes, penalties will decide the victor.
Depending on the number of schools participating, the first round of play is usually round-robin with each school playing the other teams once. The second round is the knockout stage where the school finishing first plays the one finishing fourth and the school finishing second plays the one finishing third in the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals play in the final and the losers from the semifinals play for third place.
The overriding theme for this year’s primary school football leagues is “all for development”, which is principally what the CUC PFL and GPFL are all about. A significant contributing factor to successful development is support, which is why CUC and participating schools encourage fans of “the powerful game” and youth sports to make their way to the T.E. McField Sports Field this Saturday to cheer on the young ladies.
Category: Football, Primary School, Schools, Sports
