–to establish international player-scouting network

PRESIDENT of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Wayne Forde has signed a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding with Blackpool Sports Club of North America (BSCNA) to establish
an International Player Scouting Network (IPSN) to provide Guyanese players with unparalleled opportunities for global exposure in diverse football environments.

The three-year deal was signed on September 28, between President Forde and BSCNA’s President Renaud Peters, and will, inter alia, facilitate the structured identification, recruitment, and retention of players, as well as “the seamless coordination of international scouting camps to foster stronger connections with the global Guyanese Diaspora football community”.
BSCNA is a Guyanese football club established in the late 1960s in the United States, with the primary objective of promoting and popularising Guyanese football within the diaspora community.

Founded by passionate individuals who were once members of the local youth team, St. Sidwell’s Rovers, BSCNA is a driving force in advancing the sport, and representing the spirit of Guyanese football across the United States and beyond.
GFF’s President Forde said the Federation continues to foster collaboration and engagement with the Guyanese Diaspora, worldwide, through partnerships with organisations that share a common goal of showcasing the incredible talent and potential of Guyanese football players.

“The GFF continues to explore new opportunities to collaborate and engage with the Guyanese Diaspora in every corner of the planet,” he said, adding: “The Blackpool organisation has a deep repertoire of football knowledge and experience, coupled with a wide network of Guyanese who maintain an active interest in Guyana’s football.”

He said that with BSCNA’s wealth of football knowledge and experience, “we believe that together we can achieve great things through our shared commitment to lifting the profile of our national teams on the international stage.”
GFF and BSCNA are fully committed to the successful realisation of the shared objectives outlined in the MoU.

BSCNA’s President Peters said the agreement is a tangible step towards
maintaining a competitive talent pool of footballers for the purpose of representing Guyana. “I would like to commend the president of the Guyana Football Federation and his staff for entering into this agreement,” he said, adding:
“It represents a tangible step towards addressing the ever- present and constant requirement to upgrade and maintain a competitive talent pool of footballers for the purpose of representing Guyana.

“As the oldest and most successful Guyanese football club in the diaspora, Blackpool Sports Club of North America eagerly looks forward to playing a part through a coordinated, transparent and focused effort to identify eligible football players, wherever they may reside to represent Guyana.”

In closing, Peters said: “We expect that these efforts will be a component in the resuscitation, progress and enthusiasm for this wonderful game among Guyanese as Guyana’s football seeks to attain new heights, and take its place on the landscape of international football.”
The MoU is intended to unite the expertise and resources of both organisations to bolster player development, and advance the global promotion of Guyanese football.