The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs (MoIPA) have collaborated in the organization of a “Football for Charity” match between the Heritage All-Stars team and the “Golden Jaguars” on Sunday.
This comes in the wake of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s call for the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to organize to render assistance to the victims of hurricanes Irma and Maria. The Prime Minister was at the time officially opening the CGF’s regional conference on Sunday last at the Guyana Olympic Association’s headquarters in Liliendaal.
L-R: Golden Jaguars Interim Coach, Wayne Dover, National players Jeremy Garrett, Curtez Kellman, GFF President Wayne Forde, Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe, Banks DIH PRO Troy Peters, Heritage All-Stars’ Delano Mentore, captain Keiron Solomon
The feature match will be the national men’s team, the Golden Jaguars taking on the Heritage All-Stars XI, the latter selected from the just-concluded Indigenous Heritage Games.
At a press conference on Friday morning, Interim Coach of the national team commended the GFF for their “remarkable initiative” as his side prepares to face the Heritage All-Stars noting that it is timely as they could not hope to face a better opponent.
He revealed that his team will look to perform at their best as they strive to give the patrons good quality football for their money with the victims of the hurricanes in mind.
The national team is currently encamped as they prepare for an international friendly against Grenada on October 7 in Grenada and will be using this game as valuable warm up to test how ready they are. Meanwhile, defender Jeremy Garrett, the National U-17 captain who is now a part of the senior side lauded the GFF and the MoIPA for their part in organizing the match noting that it will be a clash between the country’s best and the hinterland’s best.
Manager of the Heritage All-Stars, Lawrence Griffith noted that since the team learnt of the match, they started training and have been gelling together nicely as a unit. He urged fans to come out in their numbers for two reasons; to enjoy top level football and to contribute to the victims of the hurricane disaster.
Top scorer in the Heritage Games football tournament Keiron Solomon has been selected as the captain of the Heritage All-Stars team. He noted that his side is excited to face the Golden Jaguars and promised that they would be no walkover as they are prepared to give the national team a run for their money.
The match is being sponsored by beverage giant Banks DIH and Communications Manager Troy Peters in his address noted that his heart was touched as the football fraternity has come together as a family to assist their neighbours in the Caribbean region.
He affirmed his company’s full support of the event and explained that he is looking forward to an exciting match as well as fans’ full support of the charity event.
In his closing remarks, GFF President Wayne Forde pointed out that it was at the Heritage Games Final that he noticed the magnitude of attendance thus the idea was birthed.
“If there is anything that we know, it is that football can bring people together, we are bringing everyone who is a part of the football family in Guyana together. This is to make a generous contribution to a worthy cause” he noted.
He wished good luck to both teams and congratulated Banks DIH for their support of the event.
Forde highlighted; “Banks has been an enduring partner of the development of football for many years and it was no surprise to me that they were willing to come on board and they have thrown in $150,000 as prize money in the game.”
The venue for the event will be the Everest Cricket Club ground. Before the feature match, there will be an U-17 clash and admission to the venue is $500, all proceeds will go towards charity.
