“Competitive” Tiger Rentals league off to promising start

The Tiger Rentals National Under13 Developmental League is the first of its kind for the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and with three weeks of competition done and dusted, the fruits of the concept are already being witnessed.
During the last playing day, Guyana Times Sport caught up with GFF Technical Director (ag) Bryan Joseph, who was enjoying the competitiveness that the youngsters brought to the tournament.
“It’s really good that we’ve been able to get this Tiger Rentals U13 going. So far, we’ve seen some really good showing, especially by the Upper Demerara Academy, in terms of the structure and how they play. But I think it’s been very competitive,” Joseph shared.
He added, “It’s a good opportunity for us to have a chance to see the best U13 players in the country, and I think that has been going pretty good so far.”
The Developmental League, according to Joseph, has a number of objectives, foremost is the GFF’s intention to put the most talented players in that age group under its radar. As such, Joseph went on to explain how the GFF intended to continue scouting players for the Academy Training Center (ATC) programmes.
The Technical Director disclosed, “The big objective here is trying to get our best players in the Academy. So, we’ve found a really good format and that format allows the Academy to play fortnightly, as well as allow the regional clubs to play fortnightly. So, there’s a constant scouting taking place when, in the association, the clubs are playing each other. That’s a good opportunity for the Academy coaches to go out there, find the best players and invite them into the Academy.”
“So, we anticipate by the end of this tournament, we would be able to comprise the very best U13 players in the country.”
The Tiger Rentals U13 tournament is a key component in finding talent to build Guyana’s national core of youth players.
On this topic, Joseph noted, “And that is a stepping stone for CONCACAF Under15s, because we build from U13, then we do CFU [Caribbean Football Union] U14, which would be this pool of players, then the following year they do CONCACAF U15. So, I think it’s a good foundation for us going forward.”
Shifting focus to other aspects of the tournament’s structure, Joseph touched on the need to maximise playing time and exposure to competition.
“We’ve actually created a good model to ensure that there’s as much match time as possible. Even though the games are played for one hour, there are rules in there that ensure that every player gets an opportunity to play,” the acting TD shared about that aspect of the U13 tournament.
Revealing another ‘rule’ that is aimed at developing the youngsters’ understanding of the game, Joseph said, “Also, we’ve done a bit of tweaking, in terms of the information that is given to players. We’re monitoring that closely. The Coaches are only allowed to coach in 15-minute windows. So, that allows the kids the opportunity to play and make their own decisions.”
“So, it’s good for the growth and development of the players,” he added.
Last weekend, it was the ATCs’ time to get in on the Under13 action, when Upper Demerara, West Berbice and East Bank registered wins. (Jemima Holmes)