Hear Me Out: Petra Organisation is the backbone of Guyana’s football development

Dec 25, 2025 Sports

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By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur Sports – If we are serious about developing football in Guyana, then we must also be serious about recognizing, and protecting, the institutions that have quietly, consistently, and correctly done the work. Petra Organisation is one of those institutions, and they deserve every ounce of corporate support they have received.

Just days ago, Petra wrapped up another successful edition of the KFC International Goodwill Schools Football Tournament, a competition that has become one of the most unique youth sporting events in the Caribbean.

Since its inception in 2018, the tournament has brought some of the region’s top high school football teams to Guyana, offering local players rare international exposure without ever having to leave home.

More importantly, the tournament marked the end of a full year of youth football activity in Guyana; a calendar almost entirely organised and sustained by Petra Organisation.

From primary school right through secondary school, Petra has been the constant, reliable engine driving youth football. That reality alone underlines their importance in Guyana’s football pyramid.

Founded in 2012, Petra Organisation stepped into a space that was largely unstructured and underdeveloped. School football existed, yes, but without consistency, identity, or long-term planning.

Petra filled that gap, working alongside the Ministry of Education to establish structured competitions across multiple school-age groups. Their stated priority has always been youth development and community engagement, and over the last 13 years, the results speak for themselves.

Every single player who has made a youth or senior national team debut during that period passed through Petra tournaments. Every single one of them. That list includes Guyana’s all-time leading goalscorer, Omari Glasgow, who featured extensively in Petra competitions while representing Annandale Secondary, even helping his school win titles along the way. Petra didn’t just provide games; they provided a pathway.

It is also important to acknowledge Petra’s deliberate inclusivity.

With the exception of the Courts Pee Wee Tournament, largely due to logistical challenges, hinterland regions have always been incorporated into Petra programmes. In a country where access often determines opportunity, that matters.

Equally significant is Petra’s commitment to both boys and girls, particularly through the Courts Pee Wee and ExxonMobil U14 tournaments, ensuring that football development is not confined by geography or gender.

To be honest, this column was originally going to take a different direction. I was prepared to focus on the deplorable state of the Ministry of Education Ground, especially during a match between Chase Academy and St Benedict’s College of Trinidad and Tobago at the KFC International Schools Tournament.

I was ready to argue that an international competition deserved an international-standard venue.

But after running the idea by a close friend, I was encouraged to shift the lens, and rightly so. The more important story isn’t the venue. It’s the organisation that has kept youth football alive and relevant for more than a decade.

Petra Organisation is often mistakenly viewed as competition by the GFF. That thinking is both flawed and counterproductive. Petra is not a rival; it is a resource. In fact, the GFF should be working closely with Petra, learning from their model, their credibility, and their ability to mobilise corporate Guyana.

Take a moment, and think about that Petra Organisation, with corporate backing, has installed lights, constructed a new stand, and built washroom facilities at the Ministry of Education Ground. That is not the work of an organisation focused only on matches and trophies. That is the work of an entity investing in infrastructure, sustainability, and long-term impact.

It should be carefully studied why Petra Organisation has managed to attract consistent corporate support from across Guyana’s growing business landscape, while the GFF continues to struggle in this area. Trust, transparency, delivery, and vision matter. Petra has earned credibility by delivering year after year.

What former national player Troy Mendonca and his partner Marlan Cole have built through Petra Organisation is worthy of national recognition. They have given schools football an identity. They have created a lane of their own. And they have proven that when youth development is done properly, the entire football ecosystem benefits.

So hear me out! Petra Organisation deserves every bit of corporate support it receives, and more. Because long before titles are won and national anthems are sung, development begins in schoolyards. And in Guyana, Petra has been guarding that foundation with purpose, passion, and proof.

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• Goodwill International School, KFC, Marlan Cole, Petra Organisation, Rawle Toney, Troy Mendonca

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