Under the watchful eyes of Head Coach and former Golden Jaguars member Vurlon Mills, the under-17 boys’ national football squad are hard at work in preparation for the forthcoming Concacaf U17 Championship qualifiers. They are going through their paces at the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF’s) National Training Centre at Providence, EBD.
A glimpse of a mock-up game between the national U17 players
Drawn in Group A of the qualification stage, Guyana takes on Bonaire (30 August), the Bahamas (1 September), Saint Martin (3 September), the British Virgin Islands (5 September), and Bermuda (7 September) in Florida to decide who would progress to the championship stages of this competition, sponsored by Nike, Scotiabank and Qatar Airways.
The winners of each of the four qualification groups would join the 16 top-ranked nations in the region to compete for the confederation’s title in 2023.
“We are delighted to be able to bring this squad of players together again, after a history-making stint in Europe earlier in the year. We have invested heavily in the preparation phase, and I believe they will do very well in Florida,” GFF acting Technical Director Bryan Joseph has said.
“We have been drawn in a competitive group, but we are confident the boys will represent the flag with honour,” Joseph added. “We ask the nation to get behind the team as we seek to secure qualification for the finals.”
When the GFF sent a U16 boys’ squad to Bosnia-Herzegovina this year as part of a UEFA Assist development tournament, it represented the first time a national team from Guyana had competed in a UEFA competition.
With the squad encamped since Saturday, GFF President Wayne Forde has said the U17 engagement is an important pillar in the GFF’s strategy to develop youth football at all levels.
“We are delivering more organised leagues than ever before across the various age groups,” President Forde said. “The recent renewal of our partnership with NAMILCO to ensure U17 football is played across the country is further proof of our commitment to the holistic and continued development of talent throughout the age groups.”
The CONCACAF finals will take place in Guatemala in February 2023, with the four semi-finalists progressing to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru 2023.
