The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has donated footballs to the Indigenous Heritage Games as the 2017 event kicked off at the Everest Cricket Club Ground on Friday. President of the GFF, Wayne Forde, presented the balls to Honourable Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs and Patron of Women’s Football in Guyana, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, following the official opening ceremony. In brief remarks, Forde said the GFF has made a deliberate effort to cater for hinterland football development, and have national teams that are representative of the talent available countrywide, including in the hinterland. “We have
President Wayne Forde presenting balls to Hon Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe
demonstrated that with the composition of our U-17 team which recently competed in the CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Qualifiers and the U-15 Boys’ Championship that just concluded in Florida. The level of representation we have at the youth level in the national squad will continue, as these players mature in the senior set-up. “In the not-too-distant future, we will see national teams that are a full reflection of the diverse peoples of Guyana,” he promised.
This presentation follows technical capacity building provided to referees in the hinterland, which will also see some of them officiating in the Games, to be held all weekend. Football is usually a key feature of the Indigenous Heritage Games, which are held as part of the observance of Indigenous Heritage Month.
