THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the National Milling Company (NAMILCO) will relaunch the intra-association NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U17 League for boys this year, with an agreement to renew the partnership and to ensure continuity in the coming years, in line with NAMILCO’s objective to support the sustainable development of youth in Guyana.

The competition, which is compulsory for all nine GFF regional associations, will have two phases – the intra-association league, which will decide the best teams in each regional association, followed by a championship round to crown the national champions.

It is expected that the regional segment of the tournament will kick off in June, with the championship round scheduled for September. The agreement builds on the highly successful delivery of two NAMILCO-sponsored league-based competitions for U17 boys, prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and underlines the company’s strong record as a national leader in corporate social responsibility.

“As a local company with a long history of supporting sport and youth development, we are pleased to continue to support the young men of this country through this impactful tournament with the Guyana Football Federation,” said NAMILCO Managing Director Bert Sukhai.

“We are eager to see this U17 tournament for boys grow in the coming years, so that we can continue to make a lasting positive impact on the future of our nation through the power of football.

“We encourage our customers, bakers, chowmein manufacturers and consumers of flour and flour products to support NAMILCO, so that we can sustain this major contribution to the development of our youths and the game of football in Guyana,” Mr Sukhai reiterated. “Without you, this would not be possible, and you should be comforted to know we are doing this on your behalf.”

The agreement followed a meeting this week between NAMILCO management and GFF officials, led by president Wayne Forde.
“We are delighted that NAMILCO, as a brand with a long history of service in Guyana, has come on board again to support this tournament, which is a crucial pillar in our long-term strategy to develop young men who will lead positive, productive lives and to discover and nurture talented footballers through age-specific programmes,” Forde said.

“NAMILCO’s corporate values make a great fit for the GFF, and we are humbled by the faith the company’s management, led by Mr Sukhai, has shown in us to establish the U17 ‘Flour Power’ league, and then to continue to build the competition for the future. NAMILCO is an exemplary partner in the national development of our youth through sport,” Forde added.

More than a thousand boys across Guyana beneftted from the first two seasons of the GFF-NAMILCO ‘Flour Power’ U17 Intra-Association League, with several players progressing to Guyana’s Youth and Senior national teams, including Omari Glasgow, who recently signed a professional contract with Chicago Fire II.
Further details on the launch of the competition will be released by GFF in due course.