Six Guyanese players for try out in T&T; among 50 from around the globe

Nov 25, 2010 Sports

MLS side Sporting Kansas City scouting players

FC Santa Rosa President Keith Look Loy (centre) pose with the players selected for the T&T try outs and Co-Directors of the Kashif & Shanghai Organisation yesterday at Georgetown Club.

By Franklin Wilson

“Guyana’s players hold lots of potential, they need opportunities and I think you can achieve a lot more than you have achieved over the years; never mind the recent qualification for Martinique, a lot more is possible for Guyanese football and players.”
The words of Keith Look Loy, President of Trinidad and Tobago Club side FC Santa Rosa which will be hosting trials for about 50 players from around the globe on behalf of US Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City, formerly Kansas City Wizards.
Look Loy made the disclosure yesterday at Georgetown Club during a briefing for the press at which the players travelling to Trinidad & Tobago next week were also present along with Directors of the Kashif & Shanghai Organisation, Kashif Muhammad and Aubrey Major.
The players selected are Richie Richards and Chris Camacho – Alpha United; Clive Andries and Devor Dennis – Buxton United; Clive Nobrega and Ryan Crandon – Milerock FC.
Technical staff of Sporting Kansas City will be present to assess the talent of the players who will be involved in three (3) matches in the Twin Island Republic.
“There’s going to be a team of T&T Under-20, 23 national players; there is going to be a pool of Caribbean Football Union players, we have commitments from Guyana, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Netherlands Antilles and Belize is now reaching out to us and then we expect to have a large contingent of players from Africa.”
Players are expected from Western Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana. Look Loy pointed out that if all the players who require visas are successful, they are looking at about 50 players who will be showcasing their talent as they bid for places at Sporting Kansas City.
“These players essentially will be between the ages of 17 to 21, 22, we have a couple guys who are like 23 to 25 coming out of Africa. One of them is playing in Brazil and a couple of them are in France but basically, this is a group of young players.”
Commenting on how Guyana’s players came into the lime light, Look Loy, who was responsible for taking many players to Joe Public when he was Technical Director, stated that the idea came quite naturally to him.
He further noted that during the second stage of the current Digicel Caribbean Cup in Trinidad and Tobago, he ran into Co-Director of the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation Aubrey Major and they held a discussion were he {Look Loy} requested Major to facilitate the participation of Guyanese players in the exercise.
The governing body for the sport in Guyana, the GFF has been fully supportive of the initiative, Look Loy indicating that he also held discussions with President, Colin Klass as recent as Tuesday evening.
“Clearly, an exercise such as this can only benefit Guyanese football. Heading into the future – we are talking about players in their teens and early 20’s, players who could contribute to Guyana national teams for the next ten (10) years. So clearly this is in the interest of Guyana’s football.”
The local clubs from which the players were chosen have all been contacted in writing (invitational letters) and brought up to date with the arrangements for T&T.
The players are expected to leave on December 1 and return on the 6th. Games will be played from the December 2-5.
Look Loy declared that his club is not getting anything from this venture but they have a professional relationship with Sporting Kansas City.
“They are in support of our project as far as participation in the TT Pro League is concerned and we are doing this to make talent available to them to look at.
If anyone of these young men comes to the attention of Sporting Kansas City as a result of this then negotiations will proceed as necessary between two clubs – Sporting Kansas City and the club the player belongs to – my club and Keith look Loy do not benefit materially from this, no money has been paid to the Kashif & Shanghai Organisation nor to Kashif and Shanghai personally.
I want to make that absolutely clear up front so that there are no misconceptions about the basis on which this thing is being organised.”
Look Loy reiterated that the initiative is entirely about making opportunities available to the young players.
The Kashif & Shanghai Organisation will foot the costs for the air travel for the players to T&T as well as their accommodation and meals whilst there.
“This is their contribution to the project which I absolutely believe is an important contribution and as far as I am concerned this is yet another demonstration of the K&S Organisation and contribution to the development of Guyanese football.”
It was also disclosed by Look Loy that this initiative will be an annual affair. Many more players have continuously been making contact with FC Santa Rosa about being on next week’s trials but Look Loy noted that it is too late to accommodate other players.
“I am being inundated by emails from agents across the globe who wants to send their players to this. These young men are getting in on the ground floor.
This is a tremendous opportunity, having players coming from three continents. We have a player coming from Iceland and this is a marvelous opportunity for them and for Guyana football.”
The Technical Committee of the Guyana Football Federation was responsible for selecting the players.
That committee included Technical Development officer Lyndon France, Senior Head Coach Wayne Dover and his Assistant Collie Hercules.