THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) officially launched the Blue Water U15 Girls’ Development League in Linden, Region 10, with two dynamic games between Wisburg Secondary School, Mackenzie High School, and Christianburg-Wismar Secondary School last Friday.

The afternoon’s games were held on the Wisburg Secondary School’s pitch in Wismar, and attended by students, teachers, parents and residents. A total of eight secondary schools in Linden jumped at the chance to be a part of the Blue Water U15 Girls’ Development League, which was launched in Georgetown in May 2022.

“It’s fantastic to see, on the first day, we have all the schools out here; I am also happy that the spectators came out. The launch has been a tremendous success; we are happy to see the support from the community, as we seek to ensure football is accessible to girls in Linden,” said GFF Acting Technical Director Bryan Joseph.

He added: “All of the head-teachers we have spoken to liked the idea; they have been waiting for something like this.”

GFF and Blue Water, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport created the league to promote football development amongst girls in communities across Guyana, with the aim of developing young talent for the national teams, and to give coaches and match officials more opportunities on and off the pitch.

Nikita Wayne, of Wisburg Secondary School, said her team, the Wisburg Epic Stars, “came together in training, and everybody put their best foot forward”. They defeated Mackenzie High School Spaniards Team Two, 4 – 0, in the opening game.

The second match between Mackenzie High School Spaniards Team One and Christianburg- Wismar Secondary School’s team, the Multi Red Dragons, ended in a nil-nil draw.

Lois Moseley, Christianburg-Wismar Secondary School’s Acting Headmaster praised the league for giving young girls in Linden a platform that promotes health and discipline.

“I really think it’s a great initiative. One of the things I admire most about it is that it really helps to keep them focused, because, as we all know, an active body keeps an active mind,” she said.

She added that many of the girls have never played football before, but the league is giving them an opportunity to develop a new skill.

“We will try to see how many practice sessions we can put in to try and develop their skills,” Ms. Moseley promised.

GFF President Wayne Forde, and the Council are committed to elevating women’s football through the identification of new talent and creation of strategic developmental programmes, including the Blue Water U15 League.