Sampson believes partnership with NAMILCO can develop sport

GFF/NAMILCO Nat U-17 Football

Alpha’s United Youth Coach, Gibert Sampson firmly believes that the ongoing partnership between the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) to run of the country’s most prolonged national youth league, GFF/NAMILCO National Under-17 Thunderbolt Flour Power, will auger

well for the overall development of the sport in Guyana.

Sampson’s key contention is that having football being played on a consistent basis is vital in allowing the young footballers to mature into well-rounded players.

“Youth tournaments in any football environment are always a welcoming thing; they could be no holistic development of football in a country without youth tournaments, youths need to play a lot” the coach explained.

He further stated, “there is no greater teacher of the game than the game itself, so with all the different pillars of development, technical, social, tactical, they need to play, because in order for them to exercise what they learn and implement it, they got to be out on the field and an under-17 tournament in our football development is welcomed since it would enhance the level of Guyana’s football going forward”.

The experienced youth coach is of the view that the tournament has perfect timing since in mid July; there is the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-17 Tournament which Guyana competes.

With 30 years of coaching under his belt, Samson explained that it all started back in school.

“I attended St. John’s College and the youngsters in the school team that were playing in clubs were the coaches and help the others and that is where it began for me”, he said.

Sampson has a passion to gear those who come under his stewardship to aspire to be disciplined players in the near future.

” I’m working assiduously to develop the players from, a social perspective; who you are in life is what you would bring to football, if you are astute in life and got that capacity and potential, you will bring the same astuteness to football , so I’m working through the football to develop the capacity as a coach” the former player revealed.

The Milling Company has been in existence since 1969 and produces several heath oriented products such as Maid Marian Harvest High Fibre Whole Wheat Flour, Maid Marian Wheat-Up Breakfast Porridge, and Maid Marian Multigrain Flour among many other products.

The Thunderbolt Tournament spans throughout the football associations of Guyana and has the majority of its match days slated for weekends at the various community grounds.