U13 Youth Ensemble…VMFA cruise past YMCA to become inaugural champions

The Vurlon Mills Football Academy (VMFA) was crowned national champions of the inaugural Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Under-13 Youth Ensemble after a commanding 3-0 victory over Upper Demerara’s YMCA in the championship final at the GFF’s National Training Centre (NTC), Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) on Saturday.
The historic triumph marks the culmination of several months of structured youth competition under the GFF’s newly-established Youth Ensemble Programme, a FIFA-supported initiative designed to transform the organisation and delivery of youth football across Guyana.

Braving the Saturday morning sun, four clubs representing different Regional Associations (RAs) battled for national honours in the concluding U13 championship matches. The national finals brought together the leading teams emerging from the programme’s regional competitions, providing young footballers with an opportunity to compete on a national stage after months of organised play.
In the third-place playoff, Plaisance FC of the East Demerara Football Association and Potaro Strikers FC played to a 1-1 draw in regulation time. Anthwon Robinson scored for Plaisance while Kriston Chandler found the net for Potaro Strikers. With neither side able to break the deadlock, the match proceeded to a penalty shootout, where Potaro Strikers prevailed 3-0 to secure the bronze medal and finish third nationally. Plaisance FC finished fourth.
The championship final saw VMFA establish its authority early against Upper Demerara YMCA. The Georgetown-based academy applied sustained pressure and took a first-half lead, carrying its advantage into the interval. VMFA continued to control the contest after the break and eventually sealed a comprehensive 3-0 victory. Dean Vancooten, Dontay Kowlessar, and Nash Moe were the goal-scorers as VMFA secured its place in the history books as the first-ever GFF Youth Ensemble U13 national champions.

The victory caps a strong year for VMFA, which had earlier captured the Georgetown Football Association’s U13 Youth Ensemble title after finishing at the top of the regional standings. The Academy also won the Georgetown U15 competition, demonstrating the strength and depth of its youth development programme.
GFF President Wayne Forde was present at the national finals and extended congratulations to the participating teams, players, coaches, parents, RAs and other stakeholders who contributed to the success of the inaugural programme. He also acknowledged FIFA for its support and the clubs and RAs for embracing the new national youth competition framework.
“Today represents much more than the crowning of a national champion. It is the culmination of a new approach to youth football in Guyana. The Youth Ensemble Programme was created to give our young players meaningful, structured competition and to ensure that talent can be identified and developed wherever it exists in our country. I want to congratulate Vurlon Mills Football Academy, all of the finalists and every club, coach, parent, Regional Association and stakeholder who contributed to making this inaugural championship a success. This is an important first step, and we are committed to building on this foundation in the years ahead,” Forde stated.
The inaugural Youth Ensemble championship is the culmination of a landmark initiative launched by the GFF in partnership with FIFA in May 2026. The Youth Programme was first announced by the GFF in February following approval by the Federation’s Congress, with the programme formally launched at the NTC on May 9. Competitive action officially commenced on May 16. The initiative was established to introduce a more structured and predictable national youth football calendar, with competitions at the Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 levels across Guyana’s nine RAs.
The programme represents one of GFF’s most ambitious investments in grassroots football, with approximately $44 million being invested annually over four years. It was deliberately designed to strengthen the pathway from community football to national-team representation by giving young players more consistent competitive opportunities while enabling coaches and technical personnel to identify emerging talent from across the country.
The conclusion of the inaugural U13 championship represents an important milestone in the GFF’s broader strategy to strengthen youth development and create a clearer pathway from grassroots participation to elite football. Over several months, young players from communities across Guyana competed regularly for their clubs, gaining valuable experience in technical development, tactical awareness, discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship. With the first national Youth Ensemble U13 champions now crowned, the GFF will look to build on the momentum generated by the inaugural programme and further strengthen opportunities for young footballers across the country.