National teams’ scouting process benefit from Super-16 events

In doing a review of their year-end tournaments, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has drawn up a long list of positives that can be derived from the now concluded activity. One such positive is the convenience with which National Team Head Coaches Jamaal Shabazz and Akeelah Castello were able to view several of the country’s best prospects.

Assistant Technical Director Bryan Joseph and GFF President Wayne Forde attested to this fact during a press briefing at the Federation’s Headquarters on Tuesday afternoon.
Both Guyana Men’s and Women’s Senior teams will see international engagement this year, along with the female Under-17 and Under-20 teams.
Joseph, speaking from the point of the Male Super-16 tournament, said, “I thought the tournament provided a tremendous opportunity. As a matter of fact, it would have been so difficult for the new Men’s Head Coach to put together a team if he didn’t have this opportunity.
“Because he’s now coming back into the fore, the players that he would have worked with before, you’re no longer seeing most of them, and we really needed an opportunity for him to have a look.”
The Assistant TD went on to share that their discussions on this activity at the Federation level were fruitful, with a common observation being the commendable fitness levels.

“Our discussion with him and the technical team is that the tournament provided sufficient opportunity for us to really see what’s out there.”
Joseph went on to explain, “And I can say personally, again, it’s a discussion that we were pleasantly surprised at the level of play in the Super-16 tournament, after being away from football for two years. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of most of the matches. We were shocked at the level of fitness that was displayed by the players. It tells us, you know, everybody was hungry, everybody was thirsty, everybody wanted to come back in and present the best version of themselves,” he added.
Going forward, Joseph thinks it is a great position for the National Programme to be at, especially considering yet-to-be-announced programmes.
“So, we are happy. Clearly, I believe we go forward from here, we will try to improve, you know, all the facets of the game that need improving, and it starts with some of the programmes the President set out to do,” the Assistant TD shared.
On the other hand, Wayne Forde addressed the same issue with regard to the Female Super-16 tournament.
“The female National Team Coach travelled to most of the out-of-town locations that games were played. She was on hand, with a lot of our support staff, to identify talent,” the GFF President revealed.
He went on to add, “So there have been a lot of players that actually presented themselves now to the pool, and it will be interesting to see when those squads are called in.”
Referring to the upcoming CONCACAF Championships for the Guyanese ladies, Forde disclosed that he is looking forward to seeing the composition of those teams.
“We have the U17, U20 and the senior women that will be in action this year, and we are very confident that many of the girls that presented themselves during the period of the tournament will be eligible for selection,” Forde shared.