VICE-President of the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) Sharma Solomon has announced that the UDFA has planned a string of activities for the first half of this year. According to the vice-president they have extracted some plans from their four-year developmental strategy programme for the game in the region.
At the same time the association will this week conclude the 2010/2011 Open League championship to establish who will be the first division clubs.
Solomon said, “Looking at where we came from, for example, there was absolutely no structured football being played with clubs, so we are very satisfied we have achieved the objective that we set out to do which is to get interest and strengthen the intent.
“Now we have the interest we are now going to build on it which is the development stage. 
“Looking at the resources available to us there was no money, only three structured clubs, referees going out of Linden to do games in Georgetown, payments not being made to clubs, bad relationship with sponsors, the general public lack of interest. We have gotten back all those things and a good bank account and prudent management, and the connections with all the ball fields,” Solomon boasted.
In an interview with Chronicle Sport, the vice-president in charge of public relations disclosed that this tear’s programme actually starts next week and will see the training of facilitators for its ‘Man-Up’ programme which is aimed at young men involved in playing football. 
Reflecting on the association’s first five months last year, Solomon said, “Strengthening the administrative structure of its affiliates was priority and that they have achieved all they planned for the past half-year since they were elected to office.
“With the league now rapping up, the UDFA is to kick off, hopefully, in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Services, an Under-20 ‘Man-Up’ programme which is going to focus on developing youngsters’ morale and attitude towards working with women in particular.
“This month also it is envisaged that the Republic Cup football championship, involving all clubs affiliated to the UDFA, will be played on a round-robin basis before it enters the knockout phase, coinciding with the nation’s Republic Anniversary celebrations.
According to the vice-president “In March we are hoping to have a schools programme with the United Nations’ input where we are going to also have in March the beginning of the Edward ‘Screw’ Richmond Memorial tournament.”
He said the UDFA is going to collaborate with the schools participating in this annual Under-18 championship “as we are going to coach the schools, where our clubs will provide a coach for each participating school, and they are going to be involved in our programme also.
He said that in April also the association  will launch what is going to be the biggest awards sporting ceremony by any local association, and there will be a photographic exhibition, an awards ceremony and an induction programme.
The vice-president said all the greats in Upper Demerara will be viewed and an entire historical background perspective given  of where football came from and where we are going.
This, he emphasised, will be something special and everything will be done in collaboration with the ‘Screw’ Richmond Committee.
In addition, “We also have in April the 20/20 tournament which is going to be our marquee event for this year in terms of getting back that excitement into football,” he remarked.
“In May, the association will have several seminars for coaching and medical personnel among others as this will be the off-season period. May/June is going into the rainy season and we don’t want to do too much on the field.
“After that, in late June/July, the UDFA will focus on inter schools’ football at the Under-13, U-15, U-17 and U-20 categories, as it will be the end-of-term period, following which is the annual Summer Camp in August.
“There are also plans for the acquisition of the UDFA’s own football facility and these plans are currently being perused with the relevant authorities Very soon reputable organisations will be rendering assistance to the UDFA in order to make the approaches for the starting of these elaborate projects which will see the thrust towards football development and the game in the region become a reality,” Solomon added.