DCC Guyana leg launched

Aug 01, 2008 Sports

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Flood light football to hit Stadium for 1st time

By Franklin Wilson
The 2008 Digicel Caribbean Cup (DCC) train is set to make the second stop on its Caribbean 5-month tour in Guyana from August 6 to 11.

And announcing plans for the visiting countries who will face the ‘Golden Jaguars’ in what is anticipated to be an exciting second-leg was Digicel (Guyana) Head of Marketing Donovan White at a Press Conference hosted at Cara Lodge yesterday.

Guyana will entertain Dominica and old nemesis Suriname with the winner of the group booking a place in the second round of the competition.

The first game will see the ‘Golden Jaguars’ facing Dominica at the Providence Stadium from 19:00hrs on Wednesday August 6.

This game will create history as it will be the first football match to be played under the recently installed lights at this venue.

Football again created history a few weeks ago when it was played at the same venue for the first time, a FIFA second round World Cup qualifier between Suriname and Guyana with the Surinamese triumphing 2-1 to warp up the home and away tie.

This defeat will be at the back of the minds of the Jaguars who will be aiming to turn around the result this rime around.

In the last Digicel Caribbean Championship then known as the Digicel Caribbean Cup, September 2006, Guyana hammered Suriname 5-0, host Netherlands Antilles 5-0 and Grenada 1-0 to sweep the group.

The 2nd game of the Championship will be played at the Blairmont Community Centre ground from 15:00hrs between Suriname and Dominica on Friday August 8th with the final group match returning to the Stadium on Sunday August 10 between Suriname and Guyana under lights.

White in his remarks noted that he was very proud of the fact that they were able to secure 5 local co-sponsors for the hosting of group B action here. He noted that their responses were immediate.

“Digicel is truly proud and grateful for their support. We welcome them on board and want them to feel the life, the passion behind the football over the next several days”.

Those sponsors on board are Demerara Distillers Limited under their Pepsi Brand, Ansa Mc Al Trading under their Carib Beer, The Beharry Group of Companies through their Chico brand, Church’s Chicken and the National Communications Network, the official Broadcaster for the DCC for the entire tournament which ends in Jamaica with the 6-team final in December.

Apart from focusing on the DCC, White was emphatic in stating that Digicel, sponsors of a number of National Football Associations throughout the region, was committed to the development of the sport throughout the Caribbean and in particular in Guyana.

“Our partnership with the Caribbean Football Union is more than just sponsoring a tournament. It is trying to see how we can lend a helping hand to the growth of the sport which is such a huge one that brings together all of the Caribbean whether you are English, Spanish, Dutch or French, you have an opportunity to take part in a sport that everybody loves. It is the one thing that you can depend on to bring all class, race and creed of people together.”

The 2nd edition of the DCC which started in September 2006 and concluded in January 2007 saw a total of 69 matches being played amongst 25 Caribbean nations in 10 host countries.

It also saw the biggest prize money ever in Caribbean football being distributed which amounted to US$270,000.

Also achieved, was the highest Television ratings for football ever with over 320 million persons viewing the finals which were held in Trinidad and Tobago.

This is the level of excitement and even greater White said they are aiming to bring to the DCC this year. The GFF and Digicel are working on the possibility of having supporting matches at the Stadium.

White said while he is representing Digicel he is also representing Guyana and is encouraging all Guyana to wear yellow to the matches in support of the ‘Golden Jaguars’.

“There is a certain level of energy that the crowd brings to games and the team would feed off that energy. We certainly look forward to Guyana doing well in this zone but we also look forward to seeing good football that the fans can go away feeling that they have enjoyed themselves and had all that they could have asked for.”

Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Noel Adonis said they were very pleased to be partnering with Digicel again for the DCC. “We are looking forward to the DCC as being a form of redemption series for us particularly in the game against Suriname.”

Adonis, in recognizing the support of the co-sponsors, pointed to the fact that sports in Guyana and anywhere cannot grow or develop without sponsors coming on board.

“And the fact that you have been able to do this, we truly appreciate this and we look forward…to a rewarding relationship as we continue to provide the Guyanese public with football.”

The representatives of the co-sponsors in brief remarks all said they were very pleased to be on board recognizing their corporate responsibility to the Guyanese Community.

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