THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has thrown its full backing behind the government’s new “PE Fridays” initiative, a historic nationwide push to dedicate Friday afternoons in public schools exclusively to physical education and sport.
The programme, spearheaded by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the Ministry of Education, fosters healthy lifestyles, discipline, and teamwork, drawing students away from device-driven habits and into active routines.
The GFF marked the official rollout yesterday by deploying national team players and federation coaches to schools, giving students hands-on football tuition from the country’s top talents.
National team stars Jeremy Garrett and Ryan Hackett joined GFF coaches in delivering football sessions to eager students at the South Ruimveldt Secondary and St George’s Secondary Schools, providing role models for the next generation.
GFF President Wayne Forde, General Secretary Pushpargha Chattopadhyay, and Technical Director Bryan Joseph were all in attendance to witness the landmark launch.
“The GFF strongly supports this initiative, as it aligns perfectly with our mission to use football as a tool for education, development, and nation-building,” Forde stated. “We are proud that our national players and technical officials can be actively involved in giving students the best possible experience through sport.”
The dedicated PE sessions will run from 13:4hrs to 15:00 hrs every Friday across both primary and secondary schools.
Activities will be wide-ranging, covering disciplines such as basketball, cricket, volleyball, gymnastics, and chess, with football set to play a central role in the physical development drive.
The federation’s commitment follows recent discussions with Steve Jacobs, Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, focusing on grassroots growth and youth engagement.
The GFF reaffirmed its pledge to work closely with the government and schools to ensure football remains key to shaping well-rounded young Guyanese citizens.