…facility to be used for grassroots programme soon
The Guyana Football Federation’s proposed National Technical Centre at D’Urban Park, Georgetown is close to completing the first phase of the project after overcoming hurdles.
The first phase of the massive undertaking was to have half of the land cleared, levelled and sand filled for use.
“The land was low, there was a lot of flooding taking place and we saw the need to do this phase of the work. The other reason why we’re doing this, is because we know many of the kids – boys and girls – from the community – Hadfield, D’Urban Street, Wortmanville community, they don’t have access to good, safe spaces for playing football,” GFF President Wayne Forde said about the project.
Forde went on to address the stumbling block that the contractors, McGregor’s Real Estate Development, faced in attempting to complete the project in the initial one-month timeline.
GFF President Wayne Forde in conversation with GFF First VP Bruce Lovell and McGregor’s representatives Tinisha Benn and Lisa Neils at the D’Urban Park facility
Forde revealed, “The main factor that contributed to the delay is not the rain, but the availability of sand. The demand, as we would have noticed from traversing the East Bank, sand trucks are literally hauling sand 24 hours a day and that’s because of the massive amount of projects being undertaken by the Government of Guyana.”
“So, they were challenged in accessing sand.”
Nonetheless, the GFF boss expressed satisfaction at the pace of the D’Urban Park works.
GFF President Wayne Forde
“This phase of the project is costing the GFF $23.6M and we anticipate that, all things going well, by next year we will pursue the sand filling of the second half of the facility here. This is all in preparation for the work that will take place in the next couple months and years,” he said.
In short-term plans for the facility, Forde divulged that the first way in which they would be utilising the land is for a summer grassroots programme for children.
“One of the first football activities that we plan to have out here is the grassroots summer programme that is going to be announced on Friday. So, we’re hoping that, at the D’Urban Park facility, we’ll mark out a nice little space and equip it with the goals and all the other facilities we need to have, so the young boys and girls can come out here, whether it’s two, three days a week and introduce themselves to football,” Forde disclosed.
This phase of the project is being funded by the One CONCACAF Fund. The GFF acquired the 7.3-acre plot of land, on which it intends to construct an 8000-12,000 capacity football stadium on a 50-year lease. (Jemima Holmes)
