QUALIFYING for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the collective achievement of everyone who has contributed to Guyana’s football and it will take a further joint effort to reap the full benefits, according to GFF President Wayne Forde.

The Golden Jaguars, with goals from Neil Danns and Emery Welshman, defeated Belize 2 – 1 in their final CONCACAF Nations League Qualifier at the National Track and Field Centre on March 23.

With the win, Guyana finished 7^th on the 34-team table and will make their first appearance at the June 15 – July 7 CONCACAF showpiece; something Forde said belongs to the entire nation.

“So many great football servants have gone before us and we stand on the shoulders of those giants.

It is truly a very humbling experience for me to be at the helm of the sport at this time and to share this extraordinary accomplishment with the other dedicated members of the GFF Executive Committee, who contribute in equal measure to the intense work and many sacrifices this qualification campaign demanded of us all. I feel a deep sense of pride for the sport, in particular, which has had its challenges both on and off the field for many decades,” Forde said.

According to the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) boss, “the sum of all tourism promotion and advertising cannot surpass the global visibility that the Concacaf Gold Cup will bring to Guyana. When our boys walk out on to the pitch for their first game, the millions of people that will be watching either live or on television around the world will Google ‘Guyana’.”

Forde made a plea to stakeholders– from politics to business – to appreciate the magnitude of this opportunity and to work with the GFF to embrace its potential.

Meanwhile, despite the success, the GFF president made it clear that it’s not business as usual, since he believes that there are still a tremendous amount of work required in order to lay a robust and lasting foundation for the sustainable development of football in Guyana.

“We are finally moving in the right direction, but we need everyone on board as one team to achieve lasting success.

 The GFF cannot overhaul football without the help of corporate Guyana, the Government of Guyana and other key stakeholders. A well-run sport will produce well rounded men and women,” the GFF president posited.