IN an effort to meet the requirement to access sponsorship from many of the major companies emerging in Guyana, the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) has become legally incorporated.

This was announced yesterday at a press conference held at Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO).

To tap into companies and their Corporate-Social Responsibility, GCA executive indicated they had to change their status to a body corporate.

With the unanimous support of the clubs under the umbrella, the Incorporation of the GCA was done under the Companies Act 1991 as a Charitable Non-Profit Company with no shared capital and was published in the Official Gazette on April 16, 2022.

They will still use the name Georgetown Cricket Association, as the incorporated status is there to meet the legal and financial requirements during transactions.

Attorney-at-Law Adrian Smith further clarified that this in no way harms their relationship with the Demerara Cricket Board since the incorporation is provided for under the Cricket Administration Act of 2014.

These actions are also aimed at ensuring the association is tax compliant, according to treasurer Imran Ally.

“(That is) One of the reasons we took our association to have it incorporated, and yes to have the TIN (Taxpayers Identification Number), but also the reason is to be compliant. When you go to these big companies the first thing they are going to ask you is: ‘Are you tax compliant, do you have a TIN certificate?’ and that is the only way they are going to give you funds and we have encountered some of that before,” Ally explained.

In the past, the issue of non-compliance to the various laws meant some of their tournaments lacked the required sponsorship but it was revealed the legal changes have seen a recommitment from the sponsors, and as such, the GCA will soon launch some major tournaments.