..Regional champions and runners-up advance to national playoffs

FRIENDSHIP Allstars have been crowned champions of the East Bank Football Association’s (EBFA’s) U-17 Youth Ensemble competition, following a six- week tournament which brought together seven clubs and more than 120 young footballers from across the region.
The competition, which ran from September 18 to October 24, featured Herstelling Raiders,
Timehri United, Swan, Friendship Allstar, Kuru Kururu, Circuitville Jaguars and Pro Elevate
Sports Academy.
A total of 21 matches were played, producing 78 goals and providing participating players with valuable opportunities to compete, develop and demonstrate their abilities.
Friendship Allstar finished at the top of the standings with 18 points and 22 goals scored.
Timehri United secured second place with 12 points and 17 goals, while Herstelling Raiders
finished third with 10 points and 10 goals. Swan placed fourth with nine points, followed by
Pro Elevate Sports Academy with seven points, Kuru Kururu with three points and Circuitville
Jaguars.
As regional champions and runners-up, Friendship Allstar and Timehri United will progress to
the national playoffs later this year, where they will compete against the leading teams from
other regional associations for national honours.
Individual recognition went to Friendship Allstars’ Brandon Bruce, who was named Most
Valuable Player after scoring eight goals, while Keron Accra of Timehri United received the
Best Goalkeeper award for his performances throughout the competition.
The EBFA competition forms part of the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF’s) Youth Ensemble
Programme, an ambitious national initiative designed to strengthen the competitive
foundations of youth football and create more consistent opportunities for young players across Guyana.
A central objective of the programme is to afford every young player the opportunity to
participate in between 42 and 48 competitive matches each season. This approach recognises
that meaningful player development requires more than occasional training sessions or isolated
tournaments. Young footballers need regular, structured competition to apply what they learn,
improve their decision-making, build confidence and progress in the game.
The programme also provides an important scouting platform, allowing emerging talent to be
identified and assessed through sustained competition.
At the same time, it creates valuable opportunities for developing coaches to implement their knowledge in a competitive environment, gain practical experience and further strengthen their coaching capabilities.
The GFF President Wayne Forde, acknowledged the scale of the undertaking and the collective commitment required to make the programme successful. “The Youth Ensemble Programme is an ambitious undertaking, and we recognise the considerable challenges involved in coordinating and delivering it across the country. However, I am genuinely encouraged by the
response from our regional associations, clubs and the many volunteers who continue to give
their time and energy to making this vision a reality.
“The Youth Ensemble Programme is an ambitious undertaking, and we recognise the
considerable challenges involved in coordinating and delivering it consistently across the
country. However, I am genuinely encouraged by the response from our regional associations,
clubs and the many volunteers who continue to give their time and energy to making this vision
a reality.
Our ambition is to ensure that every young player has the opportunity to participate in between
42 and 48 competitive matches each season.
This is about much more than organising tournaments; it is about building a structured and sustainable development environment in
which young players can improve, talent can be identified, and developing coaches can gain
the practical experience needed to strengthen the quality of football across the country.
I want to particularly recognise our regional competitions coordinators, whose planning,
commitment and operational leadership are critical to the successful delivery of this
programme. I also commend Ms Garraway for her tireless efforts in overseeing this
competition.
Their contribution reflects the importance of strong leadership and dedicated
people at every level of the game.
“The GFF has a responsibility to establish the vision, provide the framework and mobilise the
resources needed to advance youth football. But the success of this undertaking depends on the collective commitment of our regional associations, clubs, coaches and volunteers. We are
building a programme that must deliver lasting opportunities for the next generation, and we
remain firmly committed to working with our football communities to make that ambition a
reality.
“The GFF congratulates Friendship Allstars on their championship success and commends all
seven participating clubs, players, coaches, match officials and volunteers for their
contributions.
“The federation also extends special recognition to Ms Garraway for her tireless
work and commitment in overseeing the successful delivery of the competition. Her efforts
reflect the dedication of the individuals working at the regional and community levels who are essential to advancing the objectives of the Youth Ensemble Programme”(GFF press release)