GFF inspects FIFA mini-pitch project at Retrieve

Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde and members of the GFF Council recently inspected the FIFA Arena Mini-Pitch under development at Retrieve, Linden, Region 10.
The visit focused on the completed sub-base construction carried out by B&J Civil Work. The inspection formed part of the GFF’s quality assurance process before the work receives formal approval.
Once the completed work is satisfactorily verified, the Federation will proceed with the project sign-off. The FIFA Mini-Pitch construction team is expected to arrive in Guyana next week to install the specialised playing surface, turf and other facilities.

The Retrieve facility is one of two FIFA Mini-Pitches donated to Guyana through the Global FIFA Arena initiative, which supports the objectives of FIFA’s Football for Schools programme. The other pitch has been allocated to the East Coast Demerara Football Association and will be installed at Haslington.
The facilities are expected to give schools, grassroots programmes and communities greater access to quality football infrastructure. They will also support the GFF’s Youth Ensemble Programme, which was launched earlier this year to provide structured youth development and more playing opportunities.
More than 4,000 young boys from all nine Regional Associations have participated in the Youth Ensemble Programme so far.
Forde said the Federation’s approach is to link the development of football facilities with organised programmes.

“We are deliberately pursuing an approach that connects infrastructure with programmes. Building quality facilities is important but ensuring that young people have structured opportunities to use them is equally important,” he said.
The Retrieve project is part of a wider infrastructure programme being developed by the GFF in partnership with FIFA. Over the next four years, the Federation plans to help install multiple FIFA Arena Mini-Pitches across each of its Regional Associations.
The aim is to establish a national network of quality facilities for schools, grassroots football programmes and communities.
Forde said the partnership with FIFA is helping to expand access to football facilities while strengthening the Football for Schools and Youth Ensemble programmes.
“Our objective is to ensure that young people across Guyana have access to quality facilities, qualified coaching and regular opportunities to play. This is how we build a stronger foundation for the future of Guyanese football,” he said.
The GFF said it will continue working with FIFA, Regional Associations, schools, communities and other stakeholders to ensure the mini-pitches are properly used and included in its wider football-development framework.