VICE-PRESIDENT of the Christopher Matthias led Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Rawlston Adams yesterday informed a media gathering of the GFF’s intentions to launch their Football Developmental Programme (FDP) soon.

Adams was at the time, delivering brief remarks at the launching of the second annual West Demerara Football Association (WDFA) organized Ansa McAl’s Stag Beer sponsored League competition, in the Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara based boardroom of the sponsor.
“Just to advance football in Guyana, you have to have the partnership of all the stakeholders and one of the major stakeholders are the sponsors of the tournament so we intend to engage all the sponsors such as Ansa McAl, Banks DIH and others.
We intend to lay out our program to them and hopefully have some buy in and commitments from the major sponsors so that we can advance and keep football playing” said Adams.
At his acceptance speech on the 12th April, Matthias who defeated Aubrey ‘Shangai’ Major for the GFF top post urged that constitutional reform, administrative soundness, technical and tactical correctness, transparency and accountability, together with equitable disbursement of resources, dialogue and inclusivity and effective marketing of the game be the priority of the new administration.
That was echoed yesterday by Adams who said that while he is not looking to preempt the GFF’s Congress as it relates to the FDP, that programme will not only be focused on Youth, Women, Coaching and Infrastructural Development, but also financial accountability.
“The Executives of the GFF along with the Coaches Association have put together a developmental programme which will be launched quiet soon and we are hoping as an executive to go to the Congress with the programme and have a buy in and commitment from the stakeholders.
It is a developmental programme for football, with the tournaments which form one aspect of it, along with the coaches, referees and infrastructural development. It entails football in its entirety, including women’s football and will be based on more fiscal accountability” said Adams.
He added, “Most importantly, we will be focusing on youth football and organizing schools tournament. We already have sponsors on board in terms of what is going on presently, including the Digicel Schools tournament but we want to see it being more organised and expanded to all the various regions.”
Speaking briefly on women’s football, Adams said a lot more needs to be done, especially if one is to take a look at the composition of the Lady Jaguars team.
“I think there is a lot more that needs to be done as it relates to develop women’s football. If you look at the composition of the Lady Jaguars, you will see most of the players are foreign based and that in itself speaks to the development programme with respect to women’s football.
I don’t wish to preempt that discussion with the GFF and its Congress as it relates to women’s football and the FDP, but certainly we will be looking at it closely before we approach the stakeholders and ask of them to buy into the FDP when it is launched” Adams stated.