Marslowe proud of male and female teams’ performance in GFF-K&S Yearend Tournaments

…urges business community to come on board

By Timothy Jaikarran

Spirited performances by the Bartica All-Star male and female teams were not enough to keep them alive, with both teams going down on Christmas Night, in the GFF-K&S Year End Tournaments. However, President of the Bartica Football Association, Alden Marslowe has stated that despite both teams losing, the Bartica representation gave a reasonable account of themselves.

Coming up against a strong and talented Police FC female team, the Bartica Females showed heart and determination, but eventually lost by seven goals to one. In the main event, Western Tigers FC prevailed against the Bartica All Star Males by four goals to nil.
In an interview with this publication, the BFA boss said, “Obviously our teams needed a better performance. However, under the present circumstances, their performance could be considered quite credible. They both came up against strong teams and they gave a reasonable account of themselves. When an association team loses in a big match, there is a flurry of opinions floating around where did it go wrong: composition of the team, the right coach, the preparation. In this case, we came up against a sound and proper team and lost and so now we put that behind us, assess our position, get back to our development strategies and stick to the programme”.
Marslowe noted that one positive that was brought away was the female team as they had been struggling to rebuild the Bartica Female Team for a number of years. He explained that now, the future of female football in Bartica looks bright. Marslowe stated that in the competition, the girls won one match and lost one, hence they were motivated and excited to go into the new year as a squad of more than fifty and that people should look out for them in the future. In terms of what is next for football in Bartica, Marslowe reiterated that the BFA will be getting back to their development strategies. He posited that the month of January will be spent regularising the clubs and having them properly registered. It is his hope that once the BFA receives the go-ahead for a return to competitions they will be able to play football the way it should be played.
In closing, Marslowe said, “Our game is still very much alive. Thanks to the Guyana Football Federation, every effort is being made to ensure we have all the tools for development; and every effort is being made for a return to play. In the meanwhile, we also encourage our corporate friends to partner with us to build up the game. The responsibility for youth development falls to all of us, and while at Bartica we receive sound support from the offices of the Mayor and Town Council and the RDC, the one important ingredient that we lack at the moment is the involvement of the business community.”