Welcome eager to bolster GDF FC’s defence for Elite League

A star on the youth football stage not too long ago, Shakem Welcome is just getting comfortable in the more professional spaces of Guyana’s football.
The eighteen-year-old has recently completed a move from Slingerz Football Club to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) FC, and is keen on making a mark at his new club. His transfer has been long in the making, and according to him, the transition has been seamless.
“It’s been since transitioning from Slingerz to GDF. More like senior players, like Calo [Colin Nelson] and them, have been influencing me in bettering my game. Recently getting invited to the National Camp as well, it’s helped me to improve a lot; and this season, just looking forward to improving myself and helping GDF win a next championship,” Welcome told Guyana Times Sport in an exclusive conversation.

When it comes to adjusting to the senior setup, the teenager has not had much trouble, given his early exposure. He explained, “Adjusting was, to me, easy; because football is my life. The school [Chase’s Academic Foundation] was preparing me to come into the Elite League, and it wasn’t nothing hard to transition into this type of football, because I was playing this intense football in Slingerz all the time. So, coming into GDF, it’s nothing different.”
Asked what he hopes to offer the Elite League defending champions in this new season, he responded that ‘conceding less goals’ is at the top of his list.
“Coming to this GDF team, Shakem Welcome is going to bring solidarity to the back line; you know, to help concede less goals this season, to help improve the defence, and just focus on a next championship,” the defender explained.
Welcome has said that, judging by preparation, he is confident the GDF team would have another good season, and would end up with a championship win.
A confident Welcome related, “We’re a very confident bunch. I think the team chemistry is very good, you know. We’ve been training every day, putting in the work. Pre-season training has been hard, and I think hard work pays off; so, I think this season is going to be a good season.”
The Elite League 2025 is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 9.