Locally-crafted GFF Super 16 Trophy revealed

The trophy to be handed over to the winner of the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF’s) Super 16 Cup tournament was last Tuesday afternoon put on display at the premises of the National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) at Agricola, Greater Georgetown, to the great appreciation and admiration of that company’s Managing Director Bert Sukhai and staff of NAMILCO.
The handiwork of local fabrication experts Brass Aluminum and Cast Iron Foundry Limited of Lots 9-14 West Ruimveldt Business Area in Georgetown, this trophy, the first of its kind, was conceptualized and manufactured locally; and will be making the rounds at a number of the GFF’s partners whose sponsorships have enabled the GFF to stage this year-end Super 16 Cup, which commenced last Sunday and will continue this weekend.
The NAMILCO stop was the trophy’s first on its tour of sponsors, and Sukhai commended GFF President Wayne Forde for the vision that informed the creation of such a trophy, which he described as unique and bringing to the fore the quality of local craftsmanship of BACIF, which compares favourably with that of international companies.
In highlighting the work of the GFF under the stewardship of Forde, Sukhai informed that NAMILCO is pleased to be associated with the GFF, which has been charting a new and solid course for football in Guyana.
NAMILCO is the single largest sponsor for the programmes of the GFF. This is done through the NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U-17 Intra Association League, which is played among the nine (9) regional member associations of the GFF. The contract is in the second year of its five-year duration, and is worth in excess of $30 million.
“We’ve played a very prominent role in the development of football, and now we are part sponsoring this tournament,” Sukhai declared.
In his remarks, Forde expressed profound gratitude to Sukhai and NAMILCO for the massive support they have been giving to sport, not only at the GFF level, but to many other entities even outside of football.
Brentnol Bourne of BACIF was on hand to go into details in terms of the manufacture of the trophy, and informed all that BACIF and the GFF are working to produce a booklet that would contain the details of the trophy from conceptualisation to final product.
Also offering remarks at Tuesday’s activity was NAMILCO’s Finance Director Fitzroy McLeod, who disclosed that the company regards supporting sports as part of its corporate and social responsibility.
He explained that NAMILCO did not get involved in the sport from an entertainment standpoint only, but also for what it offers from a developmental perspective.
“For a long time, we did not have a wide-based, cohesive, developmental programme that could reach every region in the country… So, while we are pushing our product and getting to our markets, we have had the opportunity to also be involved in the development of young people.”
McLeod also declared that the high level of accountability displayed by the GFF is one of the main reasons why NAMILCO continues to partner with the Federation and will continue to do so.
Commenting on the production of the trophy, McLeod said: “We are happy to see that we have utilised our own resources to put something together that, again, is of international standard; and we hope that this kind of thinking, this kind of approach, would be demonstrated in a lot of our other endeavours.”
NAMILCO staff members were encouraged by Sukhai to support the Super 16 matches. He said that once they attend, and can present to management their ticket stubs as proof, they would be refunded.