A group of six Kingston College football players and their coach left the island yesterday for Madrid, Spain, where they will represent Jamaica at the World Finals of the Gatorade 5v5 Soccer Tournament.

The Kingston College team defeated Excelsior High 2-1 on March 10 in the historic final of the Gatorade 5v5 football tournament played at Barbican playing field.

The Gatorade 5v5 Soccer Tournament is now in its fourth year, but was hosted in Jamaica for the first time.

Qwayne Williams was on target in the first half before Excelsior equalised through an own goal midway the second half, sending the game into extra time. Gavin Burton scored the decider as the Manning Cup champions held on for the victory.

The three-day five-a-side tournament, played between teams aged 14-16 years old, provided good competitive action.

The international finale got under way in Madrid yesterday and will end on June 2. They will compete against 21 other teams from countries around the world and the players will attend the Champions League final as part of the package.

Last year, nearly 120 young people from Europe, North America and Latin America participated in the exciting final rounds in Barcelona, where Panama were crowned the men’s champion and Brazil won the inaugural women’s tournament.

Last Wednesday Gatorade manager Mario Abreu visited Kingston College to wish the champions of the Jamaican leg of the Gatorade 5vs5 tournament all the best. The Gatorade team also handed over custom jackets to the seven-member squad which included their coach Raymond Watson. The six-member winning team is comprised of players Gavin Burton, Luis Watson, David Martin, Iyare Harris, Qwayne Williams, and Ronaldo Burgher.

Gatorade is a proud sponsor of the UEFA Champions League.