• Haslington and Retrieve grounds identified

THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF), through President Wayne Forde on Friday announced that Guyana was given two FIFA funded mini football pitches set to arrive at the end of the year.

The GFF boss was speaking at a press conference on Friday at the GFF headquarters in Campbellville.

According to Forde, “This stands as one of the most impactful investments in the future of Guyana’s football, and we are committed to ensuring it delivers, by bringing people and communities closer together and unlocking an abundance of talent.”

The all-weather surfaces are set for grounds in Haslington on the East Coast Demerara and Retrieve in Linden.

The pitches are part of the ‘FIFA Arena’ initiative to build 1000 mini pitches in football associations around the world as promised by President Gianni Infantino during the FIFA ordinary congress in Paraguay in May.

The two pitches, manufactured in Netherlands, have already been shipped and are worth a total of $42 million.

They are set to arrive in Guyana on December 3^rd of this year.

GFF Head Wayne Forde told the media that the pitches are intended to accelerate the expansion of the ‘FIFA football for Schools’ (F4S) programme and encourage the growth of grassroots football.

He added, “Guyana will be among the first members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) to kick-start this transformational project. We are especially grateful for the support of his Excellency President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the government of Guyana, and the respective regional authorities in helping us to make this vision a reality.”

Forde says that the GFF will petition the government to waiver taxes and duties so that the pitches can be transported immediately upon arrival in Guyana.

He says that the base that will house the pitches is the responsibility of the GFF, local associations and sponsors.

“The preparation of the sub-bases will be the responsibility of the regional associations, with support and oversight from the GFF. Our engineers estimate that the construction of each sub-base will cost between $4.5 – $5.5 million. Importantly, the FIFA team and the manufacturer will undertake the installation, testing, and commissioning of each pitch. Thereafter, the management, maintenance, and operations of each facility will be carried out by the respective regional association, guided by clear policies and regulations, coupled with strict oversight from the GFF,” Forde said.

He noted that it is imperative that these facilities once built, are properly maintained for the benefit of the communities as they envision mini-pitches installed in every regional association around the country.

The football administrator, while acknowledging the tremendous work done through the government’s Ground Enhancement Programme, says that football’s biggest challenge is the lack of quality football infrastructure.

“Government’s efforts have already created new opportunities for athletes and communities, and they provide a strong platform on which football can continue to grow. The GFF recognises that the responsibility of developing infrastructure is not the government’s alone, and we are fully committed to playing our part as a key partner in this national effort.”

Meanwhile, President of the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) Wainwright Bethune says his association is tremendously grateful for the representation for Guyana by the GFF and the consideration to make Linden a destination for one of the pitches.

He added, “We had some major challenges with football in Linden and there is no conversation you can have in Guyana about football and not mention Linden, so we see this as a great benefit in improving or helping with some of those challenges that we have and for the next year or so, we expect nothing but great improvement.”

He indicated the reasoning behind the specific location of the pitch, adding, “The location this facility will be in [is] surrounded by three schools, you have Mackenzie high school to the south, Regma Primary School to the north and Marcia Craig Educational Institute, this is a private school to the east, so we have three schools, the location is also equidistant to most of the football communities in Linden, we see this as very fitting as it helps most football programmes.”

President of the East Coast Football Association (ECFA) Rickford Profit was thankful for the investment in the association and the support of the community leaders.

He said, “This investment will significantly strengthen school football development within our association, the mini pitches provide safe and accessible spaces for children to play and learn, enhance opportunities for youth participation in football, regardless of background, it will also encourage more females to be part of the game and also support schools’ competitions and training programmes building a stronger link between education and sports.”