THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) yesterday began work on the country’s first football stadium – the FIFA Forward Programme.

With works on the 8.5 acres land which was leased from the Eccles/Ramsburg Neighbourhood Democratic Council, Nabi and Sons was sub-contracted to work along with Greenfields and should see the first phase completed by the end of January, 2018.
The key activity executed yesterday was the clearing of the field by the local contractor S. Nabi and Sons Ltd to prepare same for further works.
President of the GFF, Wayne Forde, during a visit said he was happy that works have commenced, adding, “We’re happy to see movement on the ground. We will be keeping our members and the general public fully informed throughout the project.”
The first phase of the project will see the construction of the artificial turf by Greenfields, a manufacturer of artificial turf. Other aspects of the facility will include dormitories, kitchen services, a gym and a pool.

According to Forde, approximately 24 months is estimated for the completion of the entire facility, and he was certain that the project is “going to make a tremendous impact on the way football is operated in Guyana. Much of the encampment services that we’re involved in really requires a massive investment from the Federation”.
Under the FIFA Forward Programme, National Federations are entitled to US$750 000 annually, but, in the case of Guyana, given the fact that it is the country’s first, Forde said that FIFA wanted to ensure that as much resources as possible are available, and as such, it was not possible for him to state the estimated cost of the entire project.
The GFF president also noted that next, the GFF and FIFA will look to build a similar structure in Linden, and then Rupununi, after which, the other parts of Guyana will ‘fall in line’.