MINISTER of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, was high in praise for the work of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) under the Presidency of Wayne Forde following a community outreach to Tiger Bay as well as an official visit to the GFF National Training Centre at Providence, on Saturday.
At the GFF’s FIFA-funded facility, which is still under phase one of construction, the minister and team were taken on a guided tour including the state-of-the-art artificial turf and the building (new and refurbished), which will house a players dorm, football-specific gym, viewing area, and kitchen, among other amenities.
Minister Ramson expressed satisfaction with what he saw during his inaugural visit to the facility, telling reporters: “I’m pretty impressed overall with the pace of the work and also the quality of the work being done here by the GFF and the leadership of Wayne Forde.”
“It shows the level of commitment the GFF is willing to pursue and the effort that they are willing to advance in the development of young talent, young Guyanese talent. I’m happy also to say that we are going to be working on a number of projects together,” Ramson said.
Forde, while welcoming and expressing thanks to Minister Ramson on his first visit to the National Training Centre, said he is quite confident that it is the first of many that would be made in the coming months and years.
Meanwhile, during the visit to Tiger Bay, footballs and other gear were handed over to the community by Forde and Minister Ramson, who also had his staff distribute face masks to residents to assist with containing the spread of the COVID-19.
According to the minister, the Tiger Bay visit was a follow-up to the visit and commitment made by President Dr Irfaan Ali.
Also attending Saturday’s outreach were GFF Executive Committee Member Dion Inniss, Georgetown Football Association president Otis James and National Security Adviser, Gerald Gouveia, among others.
Minister Ramson also engaged members of the community on the possibility of clearing a designated area to make it easier for the youths to be engaged in playing sports.
The Tiger Bay area has produced a number of national footballers over the years, including the likes of Orin Accra, Leslie ‘Fatman’ Holligan and Shawn ‘Fatso’ Bishop, all deceased, as well as current players including King Solomon Austin and Deon Alfred who were present at Saturday’s outreach.
Minister Ramson alluded to the fact that one’s circumstances do not preclude them from having opportunities for their advancement in life, adding that “presenting that ball, while it may just be a ball, it is a symbol of what your life could become too.”
“In addition to that, it’s some life-changing lessons that you learn when you are doing sport; team work, competitiveness, being able to have the discipline, setting your goals and working towards your goals all those are things that I developed by playing competitive sport, which I had just transported into my personal life,” Ramson reasoned.
