The Georgetown Football Club (GFC) and Copa Airlines will be partnering with the aim of facilitating talented Guyanese footballers in reaching their full potential by taking advantage of opportunities both at home and abroad.
However, one problem persists, which is the high cost of airfare to the destinations which give young players who wish to go to try-outs second thoughts. When the ticket for the player cannot be afforded, the player’s opportunity is lost.
Copa’s Sales Manager in Guyana, Nadine Oudkerk, said sport plays an important role in the development of young Guyanese, and football in particular very often provides much needed opportunities for youths in depressed communities.
Copa’s Sales Manager in Guyana, Nadine Oudkerk, shares a light moment with GFC Manager Fizal Khan (second from right) and other club officials
“Many of our youths, particularly those in depressed communities, are given a real opportunity to succeed through football. Having the requisite skill is one thing, but being able to nurture and develop that potential is often the challenge. Copa Airlines recognises that it can play an integral role in this regard and is extremely happy to be partnering with the Georgetown Football Club to help make dreams come through,” Oudkerk said.
General Manager of GFC, Faizal Khan, said over the past few years, the club has undertaken an initiative to help young talented footballers develop professionally through “disciplined, technical, tactical, social and psychological football training.”
Some players have progressed to the extent that they have been able to sign professional contracts overseas.
“One good example of this would be the recent signing by Morvant Caledonia (Trinidad Champions of 2012-2013) of GFC’s Kelsey Benjamin, who, at just 17 years old, has been featured as a starter in the Trinidad and Tobago Pro League, the only fully professional league in the Caribbean today,” he said.
Copa and GFC will also be collaborating in the staging of football clinics in depressed communities and orphanages in Guyana, thereby providing opportunities for talented youths to tap into their potential.
