….big prize monies and crowds

By Ras Wadada

OVER the last two decades, here in Guyana, the year-end period has been creating the most interest in the minds and pockets of players, fans, promoters and sponsors of the ‘Beautiful Game.’ It would be remiss of me not to include the media and the football fraternity at large.

This much looked- forward- to, end-of-year football extravaganza is the brain-child of two Lindeners who captured the imagination of all, including the government, football officials and businesses at home and abroad. There is no denying what the two individuals brought to the football calendar at the end of the year; and no doubt, their unequalled legacy will always be remembered.
In recent years, the duo have been virtually forced out of their annual promotion while their replacements, the Member Associations(MAs), are trying to cash in on that time of the year when people’s spending power is at the highest and football attendance at games triples up.
The decision to put an end to this manipulation by the duo of the ‘Beautiful Game’ must be heartily applauded if meaningful development of the sport is at the core of the focus and thrust. The challenge the various MAs would be faced with is garnering the kind of support/contribution to attract and sustain big crowds at games.
A lot of experience and knowledge would have been shared along the way in making football the most widely talked-about and attended sport at the end of the year in Guyana, so getting it right, while not overnight, should not be a problem.
It is, however, the wish of the fraternity that those who have been pumping millions of dollars into the sport at the end of the year will continue to do so. This transition period in this new dispensation of the ‘People’s sport’ will be a test for the newly elected Wayne Forde executive of the Guyana football Federation (GFF); and surely it would take time to get where the vision is.
This year-end football extravaganza will have four unprecedented grand finals being staged on New Year’s Day with millions of dollars at stake.
Banks DIH is the major sponsor for the Upper Demerara FA’s Tournament as well as the Georgetown FA’s 16-team competition which would include four teams from Berbice.
Ansa McAl will sponsor the tri-associations of East Bank, East Coast and West Demerara, while the GFF will sponsor the six-team Elite team competition, minus Alpha United and Slingerz FC. It is hoped that fans will come out to be entertained and to support all the tournaments, so that the MAs and members can benefit.
There is even a greater wish for the ‘Beautiful Game’ here and that is for the GFF to sort out the much deserved reward of the teams and players for the just concluded phase one of the inaugural eight-team Elite League and play-offs competition.
It is unimaginable to think of a major sponsor of such a competition that would have no prize- money obligation, when one of the criteria for staging any competition under the auspices of the GFF or its MAs is that all prize monies must be lodged upfront with the federation.
This is a prime opportunity for the Wayne Forde-led administration to demonstrate their true worth – Integrity – and source the money to make the festive season a bit merrier for the key stakeholders – the Players.
After almost one month in office, the new President is yet to call an official media conference, while the sport continues to grab the attention ever so often in the media. The President is no stranger to the sport and has proven his worth as a successful businessman and a national champion of a great mind sport- Draughts.
It should not surprise anyone when he makes the announcement soon of the date to pay out the prize monies for the Elite League winners. The other prime interest of the football fraternity is the Lady Jags team which will participate in the CONCACAF final-round qualifying competition for the 2016 Rio Olympics. They deserve wholehearted national involvement and support.