GFF, Racing Madrid sign MoU that would ‘transform youth football in Guyana’

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and Racing Madrid Football Club (RMFC) of Spain have embarked on a groundbreaking partnership to elevate youth football to new heights across Guyana with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday, October 11.
The landmark partnership was formalised with the signing of the MoU between GFF President Wayne Forde and RMFC President Steve Nijjar at the GFF Georgetown headquarters.
RMFC is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain with ties to Genova international school, which is recognised as the world’s largest and most successful academy for player pathways and development.

President Forde noted that the MoU, which is the federation’s first partnership with a European club, symbolises the beginning of a transformative collaboration between the GFF and RMFC, with the focus being to provide valuable opportunities and resources to nurture and promote young talent.
“This is the GFF’s first partnership with a professional European football club, and we are all very excited about the many possibilities our collaboration with Racing Madrid will create. Together, we will embark on a wide range of capacity-building initiatives, with special emphasis on the development, mentorship and international exposure of youth coaches.”
The MoU establishes a framework for cooperation between the GFF and RMFC, focusing on various aspects of youth development, including coaching education, grassroots development, youth football programmes, women’s football development and elite player development.
“Racing Madrid has a long history of excellence that is supported by a global network of professional football relationships. They have enormous experience in youth academy programmes, of which the GFF intends to benefit from in the coming years. I would like to express a warm thank you to President Steve Nijjar for working closely with me over the past few months in constructing this historic partnership,” Forde has said.

The partnership would also create opportunities for talented young male and female players in Guyana to gain exposure and secure placements in prestigious European clubs and academies.
Both the GFF and RMFC are committed to working closely to implement impactful initiatives that would shape the future of youth football in Guyana.
RMFC President Steve Nijjar added they are “absolutely delighted to have this partnership with the Guyana Football Federation, and we are looking forward to helping all the players and the coaches in Guyana to get to the next step and improve the game.
“Our goal is to help the country of Guyana get into the next World Cup, whether it be Youth World Cup or Senior Men’s World Cup; and that is what we are going to work hard for through Racing Madrid and Geneva Football School,” he said.
The MoU also facilitates the organisation of international youth camps aimed at preparing gifted Guyanese players for upcoming competitions, and provides valuable technical assistance to enhance the already established GFF National Youth Academy Centres.
The academy programme introduced in 2017 to offer boys and girls from as young as five years old tailored football training sessions has already made a remarkable impact on the sport nationwide. Thousands of aspiring young football players across Guyana have benefited from the age-specific, structured training programme, which is a pathway for both Guyana’s national youth and senior teams.
RMFC owner Morris Pagniello noted that he is “very happy to start this ambitious project with this ambitious federation, giving youth players of Guyana a real pathway to professional football.”
President Forde’s administration remains committed to forging impactful partnerships that would significantly contribute to the growth and long-term viability of football in Guyana.