……total National support needed

By: Ras wadada
THE historic 2-1 victory by Guyana’s Lady Jags national football team over the more fancied Jamaica Reggae Girls on November 20th, 2015 at the Ato Boldon stadium in Couva, Central Trinidad is still being savoured and will most definitely be long remembered.Against the odds, the Lady Jags prevailed, when it mattered most, in a spirited and determined come-from-behind win to advance Guyana to the CONCACAF 8-team final round qualifying competition for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
This is a first for Guyana and the best achievement at international football, hence the greatest importance of total national involvement is most imperative and must be addressed immediately so as to give the Lady Jags the necessary preparations to perform at their optimum.
I was privileged to be in Trinidad & Tobago in 1989 and in 2005 and in Jamaica as well in 1997 to experience the powers of ‘The Beautiful Game’ in uniting the respective nations, irrespective of political affiliation or financial position.
All hands were on deck, with the governments and corporate businesses playing major roles in providing necessary commitment to adequately prepare the teams. It was no easy journey and the successes would not have been possible without the added support of the loyal citizens and fans.
There was no doubt when it was match day as the respective national team colours were very evident in the streets, as well as the hot topic of the game. There was total national involvement and interest in what transpired on and off the pitch and this is the kind of culture the Guyana football fraternity must embrace if we truly want success at the international level.
Coach Mark Rodrigues must be highly commended for his continuous and invaluable efforts to keep the Golden Arrowhead in the limelight of Women football in the Region. His entire support staff and most importantly the players deserve to be highly applauded for the honor and glory they have brought to this nation at a time when the sport has taken a positive turn with a newly elected executive.
There must be a well thought out plan for the Lady Jags leading up to the February 10th to 21st , final round competition to be staged in Houston, Texas. Now that the team has some recognition in CONCACAF, arranging warmup games must be part of the direction as this can also generate funds in addition to providing playing time against quality opposition.
The team if properly marketed will develop a large following in the Diaspora which can create an avenue to bring in more funding from the sales of team paraphernalia and memorabilia.
It is equally necessary to introduce the members of the Lady Jags to the nation through the various forms of media here, taking into account the fact that most of the players are of Guyanese ancestry but North American or European by birth. The National Football Federation must also seek to get the National Communications Network (NCN) to show these games live on TV from Houston and there must be no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’, much less ‘no’.
The Wayne Forde led football administration cannot afford to repeat the same lack of vision or understanding that caused the nation the embarrassing defeats we suffered in the 2014 men’s World Cup semi-final round of CONCACAF.

The Lady Jags deserve to be adequately prepared and as such the establishment of a Special Committee, involving a wide cross-section of professionals and football officials, should be the first step and with haste, as time is of the essence.
The focus of this Nation must be to ensure that the Lady Jags finish as one of the two top teams of their group which also includes Canada, Guatemala and Trinidad & Tobago. The task ahead for Coach Rodrigues and the Lady Jags is a challenging one, but by no means unachievable. Let’s go Guyana, let’s get on board the journey to Rio as One People, One Nation, One Destiny.