“GUYANA WON”

– Jeremy Garrett on inaugural President’s Cup tournament

By Jemima Holmes

The curtains came down last Sunday on the “One Guyana” President’s Cup tournament, a year-end football competition that directly resulted from President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s vision in regard to spotting and developing Guyanese football talent.
For several weeks prior, ballers across the length and breadth of Guyana had played their hearts out competing against their peers in the Regional Championships. While the New GPC Inc/Ferrol- sponsored Region 4 team grabbed the top prize, the President’s Cup was a great stepping stone for further developing Guyanese football.
National player Jeremy Garrett agrees with this assessment. “On the aspect of football development across all regions, I think that was the most important part coming out of this regional tournament,” Garrett stated in an exclusive sit-down with Guyana Times Sport.
“As much as it might seem as though Region 4 walked away with millions or whatever on that side, which is good, I think Guyana won. Guyana won in the sense that payers were able to have the exposure on that grid, to represent their region and showcase their talents. So, to help with the development of Guyana’s football,” he declared.

Sacrifices and rewards
On the occasion of the tournament’s official launch at State House, Main Street, back in December 2022, Garrett was one of those players who had the privilege of addressing the gathering.
In his time at the mic, the young player reminded his peers that sacrifices on the field are likely to bring rewards. And that it did.
“A number of players would’ve given that sacrifice on the field, and I did mention at the opening that, you know, Coach Jamaal Shabazz, when he first came back, one of his first speeches was that players, if you guys make the sacrifice for your country, your country will make the sacrifice for you. And we’re seeing it,” Garrett reminded.
Touching on the incentive aspect of the tournament, which saw the Region 4 team adding another $1.2M to their $2M grand prize, Garrett alluded to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) prize that was snapped up by Region 3’s Leo Orion Lovell.
Garrett explained, “Look at Leo Lovell. Leo can sit home and be like, ‘I have a burden off of me. Now I’m able to access a house lot, compliments of the Government of Guyana’, which is massive!

But every single player in the football fraternity, or sports in general, should be able to look back maybe 5-10 years from now and say, ‘Well, look, I have something to show. This is what I accomplished just by playing the sport,” the player further stated.

A vision fulfilled
On the launching occasion, when Garrett had shared this particular message with his colleagues, President Dr. Irfaan Ali had spoken of his vision for the “One Guyana” President’s Cup tournament, which stemmed from conversations with citizens in the community of Buxton.
For the Head-of-State, the tournament was all about giving every player a chance to showcase their skills, even at the community level. Of course, this had extended to players who were not members of a football club.
“The vision of the President is nothing but spot on, and I must commend him, his team, the Minister of Sport, the GFF, Kashif and Shanghai for this wonderful initiative, this vision. I’m more than pleased about it,” Garrett commented on the topic.
Expounding on why he believes the President’s Cup achieved its intended vision, Garrett referenced the opportunities given to those players who are not club members. The Golden Jaguars defender explained, “The tournament did give opportunities to players outside of the clubs, which is a good thing that we want to see, that football development wants.
“Because you might have a player who is not in a club, but has the talent, they would’ve now had the experience and the exposure playing against the top players in the country. They now have a job to do,” he explained.
“ ‘Alright, we go back home, this is what we have to do to compete in the next President’s Cup’,” Garrett explained as he described a scenario. “And it pushes the sponsors now to invest, and that’s what football development is all about: having these sponsors come in, invest in the talents in the different regions, so that they can compete on a larger scale, and there’s only one outcome from that: a better national team, a better local pool,” Garrett reasoned.

On to the next one
Essentially, the One Guyana President’s Cup has been touted as an annual event, so more football action can be expected when the year-end season comes around in 2023.
“Players now have the responsibility to commit to do their best, to work hard, to continue to be part of such a group. This year again, the tournament will come and other talented players will be spotted, so it’s a matter of players doing the right thing and trying to keep their names on the roster to be able to earn a living, and also continue to represent Guyana,” Garrett said as he shared his thoughts on what is expected of players throughout the year, leading up to the President’s Cup.
However, aside from personal aspirations, there is expectation that such a large-scale tournament would see improvements for the next edition. Quizzed on how he thinks the President’s Cup concept can be improved for the second edition, the Golden Jaguars player suggested that the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport’s work on community grounds across the country be utilised.
“They’re doing a lot of development with the fields and community grounds and what not. So, I think with that kind of development, it would do a little better for the regional tournament this year. Because now we can have games maybe in Region 1, have a nice facility in Region 1, bring the fans out,” Garrett commented.
“I think that would be my thing for this year’s tournament: having the community grounds a bit more up-to-standard, so that the games aren’t all in Leonora alone; persons are able to travel, get different vibes, different energy,” he said.
Aside from opportunities of exposure for players across Guyana’s ten administrative Regions, the “One Guyana” President’s Cup saw an investment of approximately Gy$30M from the Government of Guyana and a long list of corporate sponsors.