DBU, UEFA Assist, CONCACAF materialise National Women’s League

By Jemima Holmes

A collaborative effort from international stakeholders has handed female Guyanese footballers the opportunity to have a packed season, with the launching of the National Women’s Football Development League.
UEFA Assist, CONCACAF and the Danish Football Union (DBU) have all thrown their efforts into the project, with the DBU investing US$35,000.
This revelation was made by Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde on Tuesday afternoon during the official launch of the League.
“The DBU has provided US$35,000, which was invested in the acquisition of materials that were handed out to the 37 clubs that will be participating in this league,” Forde disclosed.

He went on to add, “We are very excited to take one further step in the development of Women’s Football here in Guyana, but much of this would not be possible without the generous support of our international partners.”
Zeroing in on the GFF’s partnership with the DBU, Forde spoke to the birth of their relationship, which continues to grow from strength to strength.
The GFF President remarked, “On that occasion, we discussed extensively the developmental needs of Guyana and the importance of the partnership we were forging. We entered into an MoU that, to some extent, was derailed by the pandemic. Now that we are seeing football returning, it was only timely that we got together with our partners ever since 2020, and we started to put the key component in place for the launch of this league.”

From the perspective of the UEFA Assist, development is a key component, as described by their International Relations Project Specialist Chris Milnes.
“This is a key strategic priority of UEFA as well, and also UEFA Assist, where we have developed specific programmes to help promote and empower women in football, both on and off the pitch,” Milnes shared.
He added about the DBU partnership, made possible through UEFA Assist, “UEFA Assist has played an important role in the build-up to today through the support we have offered to the Danish Football Union (DBU), and I’m absolutely delighted they were able to provide this support through the fourth pillar of UEFA Assist, where we connect UEFA member associations together with Federations outside of Europe to help develop football.”
Andrea Johnson and Bryan Joseph, respective President of the Guyana Women’s Football Association (GWFA) and GFF’s Assistant Technical Director, are enthusiastic about the prospects of the league.
On one hand, Johnson is elated that Women’s Football has been able to transform to where it’s currently at.
“Today is a spectacular day for us,” Johnson said. “We are getting to that place where we want to be as it relates to Women’s Football. All logistical matters for this tournament will be handled by my Association, and I can assure you that this tournament, this league, will be a remarkable one.”
Meanwhile, Joseph looked at the situation from the viewpoint of boosting the National Women’s programme at all levels.
“So, you know for years we’ve built up the male version of the Super 16 Year end tournament. This year we’ll have our second edition of the Super 16 for Women, and that is scheduled to start in November. So, for our young ladies, you have a long season ahead of you, basically 6 months of football,” the Assistant TD shared.
“To echo the sentiments of the President and Andrea, it gives us a great opportunity to be able to analyze the talent of our players and be able to then put that pool (of players) together, and develop our national teams,” he went on to add.
The National Women’s League will run from June to October, 2022. In total, 37 teams will compete; 13 of those teams are based on the Coast and hail from the other 8 Regional Member Associations (RMAs) of the GFF. On the other hand, the Rupununi Football Association (RFA) will have 24 teams in contention.
The first game out of the 13-team group was played on Tuesday afternoon between Fruta Conquerors and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Women.