NAMILCO’s Alicia Anderson makes a presentation to Gregory “Jackie Chan” Richardson
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and National Milling Company of Guyana Inc (NAMILCO) on Tuesday joined forces to provide financial assistance and a six-month gift certificate to former national footballer Gregory “Jackie Chan” Richardson, whose home in Georgetown was destroyed by fire on October 4.
The former Carolina Railhawks striker received the gifts on October 10 during a simple handing-over ceremony at the GFF Headquarters in Georgetown.
Richardson, along with his wife and children, lost all of their possessions when the three-storey family home in Howes and Lyng Streets in Charlestown caught fire.
During the ceremony, Richardson expressed his sincere gratitude to the GFF and NAMILCO for their support during this difficult time.
“Everything’s going good so far. I want to thank GFF President Wayne Forde and NAMILCO for coming on board with us and supporting Under-17 football and supporting me during this tragedy,” the beloved retired national player shared.
In response, President Forde underlined the solidarity of the football community in Guyana, emphasising that the fraternity stood together as a family, offering unwavering support to Richardson.
“When we say that we are a football family, we are not using those words lightly, we are indeed a family and as the head of this family, it is my duty to make sure that whenever a member of this family is facing the kind of tragedy Gregory is going through at the moment – then the fraternity must stand together and do all that we can to support that family member,” he said.
Forde added that the GFF has a “role to play as a federation to step forward and intervene whenever a member of this fraternity is facing a challenge. The National Milling Company is an extension of the football family. They’ve been working with us for more than seven years now supporting youth development, supporting female football, supporting many of our programmes and it was, therefore, no surprise that Mr [Bert] Sukhai was eager to extend his generosity towards Chan.”
Richardson, with an impressive record of 17 international goals for Guyana, is undoubtedly one of the most decorated Guyanese footballers.
His exceptional skills as a striker had secured him a spot on international and regional teams, including Colorado Rapids in the MLS; Puerto Rico Islanders (USL); Carolina Railhawks (USL) and Joe Public (T&T).
Additionally, he has made significant contributions to local football clubs, including Pele, Alpha United, Beacon, Georgetown Football Club and Fruta Conquerors.
Since retiring from professional football, the celebrated player has been actively engaged in youth football development, taking on the role of coaching a NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 League team.
The NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 National Academy Play-offs, which complements the GFF Academy Training Centre (ATC) programme, was launched on October 7.