Guyana Football Federation announces its Elite League

May 29, 2015 Sports

– eight clubs to battle from August
In keeping with the new mandate issued by CONCACAF, the GFF invited applications for Elite Club License from all member associations to be submitted by May 12, 2015. A total of eleven (11) applications were received.

GFF TD Claude Bolton (standing backing camera) makes a point to representatives of the 8 Elite Clubs at Water Chris Hotel in the presence of other officials.

As per CONCACAF Guidelines, a First Instance Decision Making Body was established to review and pronounce on these applications. It was agreed that no Normalization Committee Members would sit on this body.
Following the review process, all eleven (11) applications were approved for Elite Club License.
The Competitions Committee of the GFF then met with the view of choosing eight (8) of the eleven (11) Clubs to participate in the soon to be launched Elite League.
The selection process was guided by four criteria that were established long before applications were received. These criteria were: • Elite League License (which all 11 Clubs satisfied), • Budget and Financial standing, • Competitive Results over a 3-5 year period, • Geographic proximity of the Club.
Following a thorough review based on the criteria outlined, the following eight (8) clubs were invited to participate in the inaugural GFF Elite League: Alpha United, Guyana Defense Force, Slingerz FC, Pele, Fruta Conquerors, Georgetown Football Club, Buxton United and Monedderlust FC.
The announcement was made on Monday 25th May, 2015 at the Water Chris Hotel and Bar in the presence of CONCACAF Club Licensing Manager, Mr. Andres Portabella and FIFA Consultant Mr. Michael Gandler who visited to speak to the eight (8) selected clubs about the vision of CONCACAF and Club Licensing in the region.
He noted CONCACAF’s Mission Statement: “To develop, promote and manage football throughout the region with integrity, transparency and passion in order to inspire participation in the game.”
Portabella stated that inspiring participation is key: “So we want to inspire more clubs, we want to inspire more leagues, more administrators, and more coaches to take their organization o the next level.”
The Guyana Football Federation congratulates the eight (8) Clubs and look forward to the commencement of the Elite League which is scheduled for August, 2015.