UDFA under pressure to stage year-end football extravaganza

The big question is whether this “tradition” will be broken; and the tradition at reference is in regard to Linden having its GT Beer Year-End Football Tournament.
Efforts are underway to “put measures in place” to upkeep this annual extravaganza, which at one stage had seen executives being banned for daring to stage the event against the wishes of some in the higher echelons of authority in the administration of this game; and that was not so long ago.

The battle had been won then, a few years ago, and the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) have since continued to stage their yearly GT Beer Football Tournament, with domestic clubs pursuing honours therein to the great delight of the big football fan base in the sports-loving township of Linden.
This year, however, acquiring the necessary sponsorship to stage this extravaganza is seemingly a serious challenge. The UDFA have come in for some harsh criticism from their affiliates, and even clubs, in regard to this year-end event being staged, because of its importance to the community.
The Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) has also been engaged, to have dates available and to ensure the venue is ready; and while all this is happening, interests seemingly from other quarters have begun to emerge.
One high-ranking official has stated that the Change Guyana political party, through Nigel Hinds and Robert Badal, has offered to be part-sponsors of the event, along with the Guy-Construct Company; but confirmation has yet to come.
The UDFA are hoping that, through approaches made to the ministries of Social Cohesion and the Presidency, Government support would be forthcoming.
This is even as the event’s main sponsors, Banks DIH Ltd, have not decided what level of sponsorship they would be furnishing, after years of being its main sponsors.
With the staging of this event being plagued by uncertainty, the UDFA have been seeking to obtain from some source, or sources, watertight assurances of assistance in regard to its staging, and they are looking to other Linden businesses for help and support.
The UDFA are reportedly pinning their hopes on Banks DIH, as the tournament’s main sponsors, making them an offer they cannot refuse during the course of the week.
Banks DIH had committed to being this tournament’s annual sponsors, and it was through this year-end tournament that the beverage giants had launched their GT Beer brand in Linden a few years ago.
Clubs had been enquiring about an early start to this tournament, but the starting date that would have allowed these eight-day championships to conclude on January 1 as usual has already passed without certainty that these championships would be held.