MACHINE Corporation of Guyana Ltd (MACORP) has made its debut as a partner with Guyana‘s football development with a huge One Million goal which even VAR could not dispute but welcome.

The sponsorship cheque was presented to GFF president Wayne Forde by Chief Financial Officer/Human Resources Manager of MACORP, Anita Ramprasad, last Thursday afternoon, following a brief but significant ceremony, which included Managing Director Guillermo Escarraga, other staff members. Chairman was MLC trainer, Bonard Joseph.

As the only authorised Caterpillar dealer in Guyana, MACORP stated that the company has always embraced and supported initiatives of development across the board since it’s their corporate responsibility in helping to mould and build Guyana.
The company also said that they have been following the positive progress of football under the Wayne Forde led administration.

Managing Director, Mr Escarraga in his remarks postulated that it was a pleasure to host the GFF at such a ceremony to officially start what is anticipated to be a long and mutually fruitful relationship.

“We recognise the work that you have done and that work is what has made us interested in entering this partnership with the Guyana Football Federation. We’ve seen the progress that football has been making in Guyana. We’ve seen that for the first time you’ve qualified for Gold Cup in the history of the sport in Guyana. This is very remarkable.

And we see a lot of potential in the future of the development of football and we want to be part of it, and this is the first step in this relationship that we hope continues for the development of the sport.”
Escarraga expressed confidence that with the leadership of president Forde, Guyana will continue to climb the ladder of development positively in a holistic way.

“MACORP stands behind .the Guyana Football Federation in this quest to get to the higher level. We really believe that the potential is there, we’ve seen the talent, and we’ve seen the opportunities that this creates for communities, for very young individuals, for our own kids and for everybody that really wants to use football as something that would help in their careers and getting better in life as a whole.”

Escarraga expressed confidence that the GFF Super 16 Cup will be a wonderful experience and event for all to enjoy.
“We’re really excited because we want to reach out, we want to engage our customers in those regions and we want everybody to have a good time and to use football as a way of getting together, socialising and having a good time; and at the same time, helping the players to get some important playing time because at this level, playing time is very important to continue making progress in the right direction.”

Ramprasad in her remarks said that it was indeed an honour for the company to be collaborating with GFF, explaining why it was important.
“We recently realised that most of what employees know about work is that you come to work, do the job, get paid and you go home and there’s no real culture beyond that in the workplace.

“We’ve recently introduced into our organisation, a sport and recreation committee because we truly believe that the health and wellness of our employees encompasses what they do, how they take care of their bodies and how well their minds are prepared to handle challenges; this is where sport comes in.”

Ramprasad further noted that disciplines, such as football, teach employees, youths and even adults the patience of discipline, commitment, dedication and most importantly, teamwork.

“Working together for a result that brings you glory and gratitude is indeed an honourable thing that you are working with our country’s youth and the not-so-young to promote such a sport because there are so many things that people can do with their time that is not in their best interest.
Sport gives you so many opportunities to relieve your stress as well and you can find talent that maybe one day, may be the next Neymar or Ronaldo, this is where it begins, at this level.”

President Forde in extending gratitude to MACORP for a timely boost to the sport and more specifically the GFF Super 16 Cup ®, noted that it is an exciting moment for the GFF to enter into a new relationship/partnership with one of the leading companies in Guyana.
“I am so pleased to hear the values of the company being brought to bear in a sporting activity. For us, football is more than a game, while we look at the global football product and we see an entertainment value that seems to be attracting more emphasis than any other value, in our corner of the world, football is a human development tool.”

The GFF boss stated that one might be very much surprised to know that just a small percentage of the population of global footballers would go on to play professionally.

“More than 98% of the people who play the ball, whether through structured programmes or for recreational purposes will only play that aspect of football. It is the few who are most talented and gifted that we will adore and admire when they weave their talent on the big screen. So, much of what we do is to add values to the lives of the people that we bring into our football fraternity.”

Forde, who was given a second four-year mandate by the GFF members to lead the sport expressed optimism that this new partnership with MACORP would be an enduring one stating that the enormity of the challenges that the GFF undertakes daily to develop the game, relies heavily, on partnerships.

“I am very happy, I’m actually moved by the fact that MACORP sees the GFF in such good light and good stead. I want to give you my assurance and commitment on behalf of my executive committee and the staff that we would do everything in our power to deliver a competition worthy of the investment you are making. I look forward to a partnership that reciprocates value for both organisations.”