LAST Friday a historic event unfolded in the mining town of Linden when the Guyana Beach Football Association (GBFA) and the Linden Care Foundation signed an agreement for a two-year period to promote the services of the foundation through beach football. Linden Care Foundation has been in operation for over ten years, offering support services and testing for HIV AIDS in the mining town and its environs and has contributed tremendously towards educating the community.
The Guyana Beach Football Association (GBFA) which was established three years ago to promote a new aspect and department of the sport of football commenced their activities in the mining town of Linden and operated from the Christiansburg Community Centre ground where a beach football court has been established.
The recent agreement will see the Linden Care Foundation offer its full line of services over the agreed period to the members of the beach football association and in return the beach football association will partner with Linden Care Foundation to advertise and assist in all of its services, promotion and other support mechanisms to execute the goals and mission of the foundation.
At the simple ceremony held at the foundation secretariat, coordinator of the GBFA, Rollin Tappin, expressed his appreciation for the establishing of such a significant partnership.
Tappin indicated that his association had made landmark achievements since its establishment and highlighted a number of community projects which will be collaborated through his organisation with the foundation.
The GBFA sent a representative team to its first international beach football tournament last November in Trinidad & Tobago where sixteen countries were represented. Guyana finished third and three players were selected to represent a Caribbean All Star side in Virginia in July for the USA summer tournament.
Next month Guyana has been invited again to participate in another tournament in Antigua and will see twelve players again participate.
“We have the natural talent for the sport and will be looking to unfold a local beach football grassroots development programme this year, as this will be the launching pad for all the affiliates in the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).