Grassroots to Greatness: 29th Republic Cup National Youth Football League Launched

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, January 10, 2025: The 2025 Republic Cup National Youth Football League officially launched on January 9, 2025 at the Republic Bank Sports Club in Barataria. Junior football teams across the country are now invited to register during January 11-25, 2025 to partake in the renowned competition which offers prizes amounting to $75,000 and opportunities to interact with international coaches and scouts for professional and scholarship opportunities. Now in its 29th year, the Bank’s annual proprietary tournament is sanctioned as the official national youth league by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) as well as holds the title of the longest-running youth football league in the country.

Speaking at the launch, TTFA’s 3rd Vice President, Jameson Rigues highlighted that the TTFA was happy to partner with Republic Bank for yet another year, declaring that “We want to go further to make this the perfect platform for our young people to become great footballers and great citizens.” He encouraged other corporate entities to follow the Bank’s example to leverage sport for the benefit of young people.

Also addressing the gathering was J.P. Clarke, General Manager of Wealth Management at Republic Bank. Clarke emphasised that the Bank hosts the Republic Cup as part of its Power to Make A Difference corporate social responsibility initiative. He highlighted that the Republic Cup stands apart because of “the feedback and guidance from coaches and mentors…to help the players enhance their skills and deepen their understanding of the game.” He added “The presence of international scouts allows for critical evaluations and exposure for players to potentially demonstrate their talents on a global platform.”

This year’s competition will be facilitated by league organiser, TTGameplan. Dennis Allen, owner/operator of TTGameplan explained the breakdown of the tournament’s format stating that the games will kick-off on February 8, and will include both male and female teams from various age groups across T&T under the following categories:
• Girls 17 and under;
• Boys 14 and under;
• Boys 17 and under; and
• Boys 20 and under.

The games will take place in 5 divisions, East, North, South, Central and Tobago.

Registration starts January 11, 2025 and ends January 25, 2025. Football clubs and academies interested in participating can contact TTGameplan via telephone/WhatsApp at 1-868-389-8789, email at grasworxtv@gmail.com or at the website www.ttgameplan.com.