THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) completed two successful U-20 men’s talent identification sessions at the GFF National Training Centre last weekend, ahead of forthcoming CONCACAF U-20 qualifiers, with more than 90 players from eight regional associations competing for places in the provisional squad.

In November, under the guidance of Head Coach and former Golden Jaguars boss, Wayne Dover, the U-20 men’s national team will seek to qualify for the 2020 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, the first step on the road to the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023.

“I’ve been impressed by the enthusiasm from the players; the commitment and work ethic; that is important in terms of preparing a team for these championships,” Coach Dover said. “There is a lot more work to be done to bring them to the level we need them to be to compete and
possibly come out of their group.”

On Saturday and Sunday, players proposed by their respective associations from Georgetown, East Coast Demerara, West Coast Demerara, East Bank Demerara, Upper Demerara, Bartica, Berbice and Essequibo/Pomeroon took part in assessment sessions supervised by the GFF’s
Technical Department.

The U-20 talent pool includes many players who have benefitted from the GFF’s ground-breaking network of youth development Academy Training Centres, which provides professional coaching in the GFF’s national playing philosophy, as well as its U-15 and U-17 leagues,
sponsored by Pele Alumni and NAMILCO respectively.

However, no competitive youth football has taken place in Guyana since the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The GFF is waiting for the authorities to approve its robust and credible roadmap for the safe return of play, which was
designed with the support of football development and health experts at UEFA and FIFA.

“After this ID campaign, we will select a possible pool of players to start preparations,” Dover said. “We will also extend this talent ID to the diaspora to see how best we could select talented players who are available, so that we could put the best team together for this championship.”

Dover said the Rupununi Football Association would conduct separate talent ID sessions in Region 9, while the GFF would engage football communities in other hinterland areas in September to search for new talent that does not fall within its current regional association structure.
“We have a plan to ensure that we cover all the players that are available at this age level for the national U-20 team selection,” Coach Dover said.

In February 2020, Guyana narrowly missed out on the subsequently cancelled 2020 Concacaf U-20 Championship, winning three out of four matches in a difficult qualification stage that included hosts and eventual group winners, Nicaragua,.

“My expectation is for us to prepare the team in a way that we can go out and be very competitive and try to win the group and come out to the next phase,” Dover said. “My expectation is for us to do much better in these championships.