Earlier this month, the Lady Jags football team reached out to the relevant members of Government for assistance with grievances they had with the handling of the team and, by extension, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).
In a joint letter to First Lady Arya Ali and Minister of Sport Charles Ramson Jr., members of the Senior Women’s National Football Team expressed a number of issues they have endured over the years, inclusive of inadequate assistance, lack of match fees, and the dormancy of the team.
GFF President Wayne Forde
While the Guyana Football Federation had responded to those claims soon after they were voiced, in a new revelation this week, it was disclosed that some of the team met with the GFF.
According to President Wayne Forde, the women had legitimate concerns that needed to be heard.
“I think we had a very good meeting with some of the players and we really talked through the issues that were affecting them. We were able to; we gave ourselves an opportunity to explain to them, things that we felt they weren’t up to speed with. And we heard from them, matters that they felt are of great concern to them,” the GFF president disclosed.
“And some of those matters are very legitimate,” he added.
In expressing his intentions for the GFF’s relationship with the Lady Jaguars, Forde emphasised the need for the Federation to make the women feel valued following their stellar accomplishments.
The Guyanese senior women’s football team
Further Forde commented, “So, as an organization, we continue to learn and we will start to make the necessary changes to ensure that our women feel valued, because they are highly valued. And whatever it takes to make sure they feel that the football administration places their interests just as high as all the other categories – well, I should say as their male counterparts – that will be a goal that we will work towards,” Forde concluded.
In spite of being the first Guyanese team, whether male or female, to qualify for a major CONCACAF tournament, the Lady Jags are not recipients of match fees. This fact played a large role in the Women’s letter to the first Lady and the Sport Minister, which was disseminated on April 7.
