GFF gives $12.4M to Regional Associations to commence Senior Men’s A League

Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde on Thursday presented a total of $12.4M in cheques to the GFF’s nine Regional Associations (RAs) for staging of the 2023 Senior Men’s League across Guyana.
Over the next few weeks, each RA would organize and kick off its Senior Men’s League, which is funded under the GFF’s Members Financial Assistance Programme (M-FAP). A total of 104 football clubs across Guyana would be benefitting from this investment.
The GFF’s pioneering M-FAP programme, which was launched in 2020 with full approval of the GFF Congress, provides support to the GFF members under four pillars: Administration & Operations, Equipment & Material, Competition &Technical Development, and Infrastructure Development.
GFF President Wayne Forde has said the GFF has been working closely with the Regional Associations over the past four months, to support their readiness for the 2023 Senior Men’s League and to build on the successes of last year’s historic post COVID-19 return to play league commencement.
For the first time in Guyana’s football history, all nine Regional Associations kicked off their Senior Men’s League on May 15, 2022, as a clear and unified signal of Guyana’s return to play.
“We have been talking with the Associations for the better part of four months, guiding them on some of the essential planning processes they needed to undertake to ensure that they were ready to launch and operate their Senior Men’s League. They were required to prepare and submit to the GFF key documentation, such as the league fixtures, rules/regulations of the league, and a budget for the season. Barring the individual venue challenges football is facing in Guyana, coupled with the inclement weather at the moment, my Associations are ready for their leagues, and I would like to thank all of my presidents for their hard work and leadership,” President Forde has said.
He added, “M-FAP is important to the entire football fraternity. We have already seen the impact M-FAP has had on football in Guyana over the last three years. We recognized, during the course of last year’s Regional Associations League, that additional resources and funding were required, so this year we have answered that call by allocating more funds to each RA”.
Forde noted that the financial programme is “unprecedented and very unique to Guyana.”
“As a member of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), there is really no other country within our hemispheric football body – CFU in particular – that has a well-structured funding programme as is the case here,” he disclosed.
Also present at the simple handing over ceremony, held at the GFF’s Georgetown Secretariat on June 22, were Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz, and GFF General Secretary Ian Alves. Shabazz stressed that the regional league is an integral platform in the identification of national and international talent in Guyana.
“It’s an important stepping stone for the national team, because the Regional Associations produce players, coaches, and teams for the Elite League…and from there they are in a pool where they are chosen for national and international football. GFF has taken a position with M-FAP in terms of support, now the onus is on the Regional Associations to take that support and run with it,” Shabazz has said.
First to launch their league are the Georgetown Football Association (GFA). GFA President Otis James has confirmed that the kickoff date is Sunday, June 25.
“This 2023 season will be a little bit more competitive, because we came off of the COVID-19 situation. Now we are much better equipped. We are looking forward to Sunday afternoon at 6 p.m. to start the senior men’s league,” James said.
President of the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA), Wainwright Bethune, has said that M-FAP funding placed his Association in a good position to start their league. “As we all know…we’ve had some issues in terms of having a regular senior league, and today…placed us in a good position, so that we can start our 2023-2024 season. So, we are very much looking forward to that,” Bethune shared.
Bartica Football Association President Alden Marslowe has said the BFA are ready to build on the success of last year’s league in Bartica, with nine clubs registered to compete this season.
“Last year we had a very successful Senior Men’s League at Bartica, and, once again, we are really happy that the GFF has come on board with the M-FAP programme to ensure that our league runs into a second year; and we’re looking forward to making it a success again,” Marslowe has said.
Essequibo/Pomeroon Football Association (EPFA) President Marvin Pearson has said he is “quite excited about the Senior Men’s League, which will be kicked off on July 8.”