The Bartica Football Association (BFA) hosted their Annual General Meeting on April 6, 2022 with BFA President Alden Marslowe seeking another term at the helm. At the end of that engagement, Marslowe was returned to the helm unopposed as president, and a new committee was elected.
BFA President Alden Marslowe and the newly- elected management committee
The new Executive Committee is as follows:
President – Alden Marslowe
1st Vice – Sherwin DaSilva
2nd Vice – Kenneth Edwards
3rd Vice – Elwes Jones
Secretary – Arita Embleton
Treasurer – Carmel Williams
Asst Sect/Treasurer – Carmelita Daniels
Committee Members: Leah Perreira, Ryan Andries, Curtis Joseph, Felicia Jones, Devon Spencer.
In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport, Marslowe was asked how he felt about being re-elected, and he responded: “For me, it is always an honour to serve my community, especially the young people who love football and want to play. And so, returning as head of the association is the excellent opportunity for me to continue doing what I love to do for the sport.
“The new Executive Committee has within its makeup five women who have indicated their willingness to serve. In fact, some of them are already positioned to serve, including Carmel Williams, who is a member of the GFF Executive Committee, and Arita Embleton, who is Deputy Mayor of Bartica and also functions on the Finance Committee of the GFF.
“In this era, women’s football is taking the world by storm, and so it is important also to have women positioned as leaders in the administration of the sport.”
In terms of what is next on the BFA calendar, Marslowe noted that preparations have already been started for the launch of the BFA Senior Male League, which will run alongside the Under-17 Boys League and the Female League.
Going forward, the BFA will be focusing on implementing a series of capacity-building programmes to assist the club’s coaches and administrators. He also mentioned that, despite the pandemic, the BFA has a lot of time and opportunity, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, as he believes that football is not dead.
In fact, he indicated that the response of the Bartica Regatta Football Tournament signals a particular eagerness in both players and fans for a return to play.
The start of the league season will be the official return-to-play, and thus the BFA is upbeat as it aims to take the game to higher heights.
Marslowe divulged that, at present, the BFA are engaging friends who are involved in business to create partnerships in development of the game. He reiterated that football is not just attractive, but is sufficiently attractive to command the attention of the business community, because of the visibility that is associated with playing of the game.
Hence, the BFA is starting an aggressive campaign for sponsorship, and he is confident there would be massive response from corporate friends.
“As usual, I once again give honour and gratitude to the Guyana Football Federation for the unwavering support that it has been giving to the association. That support includes materials, equipment, finance, administration and technical input. The GFF has taken the position of setting the stage for our annual programme, and that makes it much easier for the association to foster the playing of the game, running off leagues, and other developmental strategies,” he said.
