IN their continued aim to restructure football in Guyana, with emphasis on development at the youth level, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) yesterday launched the Frank Watson U-15 Intra-Association Tournament at the National Gymnasium, before an audience that included visiting CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani.
The tournament is being held in collaboration with the Pele FC Alumni Corporation, and backed by corporate support from the National Milling Company, and will supplement the Under-17 league which is already played. Although the dates have not yet been finalised the programme is expected to begin soon.
GFF president Wayne Forde, during his address at the launch, noted that the hosting of the league is all part of the Federation’s restructuring strategy.
“The Under-15 league is part of the GFF strategic plan to have consistent football played at every level. Here we are once again launching a tournament that will add to the restructuring of football in Guyana. This will ensure that structured football is played at one of the most critical levels in the development of every player,” Forde stated.
Forde described the event as “historic”, emphasing that the hosting of the tournament will mark a lot of firsts for football in Guyana, particularly the fact that the GFF now has two major corporate sponsors backing the leagues.
“Today is an exciting and historic day for football in Guyana. We now have two commercial partners to ensure that football is played at the U-15 and U-17 levels year round for the next five years. I think this is the first of its kind. I don’t recall a period in Guyana’s football history where we would have had two commercial relationships that ensure that structured age specific football is played year round in every association,” Forde pointed out.
And the development doesn’t end here, Forde said that more grassroots leagues are expected to sprout soon, all working to support the the (GFF)/Scotiabank Academy Training Centre (ATC) which was launched last month.
“In a matter of weeks, we’re going to be announcing a similar nationwide, youth Under-13 league and thereafter a youth U-20 league. These leagues will feed players into those academies – the U-15 league, the U-17 leagues the U-13 leagues, the U-20 leagues.” Forde said.
When Montagliani took to the podium, he focused most of his address directly to the players present, reminding them of their pivotal importance as the whole reason for the game.
“You now have a privilege to be involved in one of the greatest games in the world. And you have to seize that opportunity,” Montagliani said.
Montagliani was accompanied by other Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) member federations’ presidents including president of the St Martin Football Association, Fabrice Baly, and president of the Aruba Football Federation, Richard DijKhoff.
Montagliani is on a two-day visit to Guyana, where he is taking in an overview of the sport in Guyana and meeting with several other local officials, including Director of Sport Christopher Jones.
Jones was also present at yesterday’s ceremony and took the opportunity to reiterate government’s stance on being supportive of any imitative working to improve sports in Guyana.
Yesterday’s ceremony also saw the handing-over of several pieces of equipment to GFF member associations.