NAPSS hosts ‘reunion of champions’

Jul 13, 2009 News

---

NEW AMSTERDAM, BERBICE – The New Amsterdam Primary/Secondary School (NAPSS) Football Foundation would be hosting a ‘Reunion of Champions’ in New Amsterdam between August 7th and 17th.

The activity will feature several events including an Award Ceremony, Dinner and Dance as well as a football tournament.

The New Amsterdam Primary/Secondary School Football Foundation, which comprises overseas based Berbicians, was formed in September of 2007 in the U.S.A.

It is made up of members of the 1970 New Amsterdam/Canje football squad and other associates. This team was said to be triumphant at the Guyana Primary School Football Tournament 38 years ago.

At that time, the Manager was Errol Alphonso and the Coach was Gladstone Prass. The team consisted of Granton Inniss, Roger Alphonso, Neil Humphrey, Sam Jones, Colin Jones, Walford Edwards, Walton Edwards, Michael Taylor, Richard Belgrave, Richard Staglan, Hubern Evans, Winston Henry and Floyd Grimond.

The Captain of the squad was Martin Inniss while Dennis Ellis and Neil Jones were goal keepers.

Some of these players, Martin Inniss, Granton Inniss, Roger Alphonso and Neil Humphrey had later represented Guyana at the senior football level, while Hubern Evans made a name for himself in cricket.

The President of NAPSS is Gladstone Prass; Roger Alphonso and Granton Inniss hold the fort as Vice Presidents and Marcia Ross is the Secretary/Treasurer of the U.S.A. Chapter. Petra Forde, of Tucber Park in New Amsterdam, is the Secretary/Treasurer for the Guyana arm.

They tasked themselves with the responsibility of raising the level of awareness of football among students and to improve their participation in the sport.

To achieve this, the organisers intend to promote the game at a competitive level among selected secondary schools. These students are expected to undergo rigid training, show high moral standards, and academic achievements.

The members of NAPSS are of the conviction that ‘world cup vision, world cup resources, and world cup preparation pave the way for world cup representation’.

It is their aim to produce a squad accomplished enough to represent Guyana at any World Cup qualifying match.

The goal further down the field is to establish an academy of talented young footballers who could be developed into world class players. If this is achieved, then, according to the members of NAPSS, Guyana can be hopeful of scoring a qualifying position in the CONCACAF regional football tournament in at least ten years down the road.

Against this backdrop, the New Amsterdam Primary/Secondary School Football Foundation would be hosting the bi-annual NAPSS 2009 Cup.

This is one of the feature events during the two-week celebration. The tournament would be held during the August 8th to 16th weekend at Burnham Park or the All Saints Scotts School ground. The opening ceremony is scheduled for August 8th.

The schools identified in Region Six are the Vryman’s Erven Secondary, New Amsterdam Secondary (Multilateral), Berbice Educational Institute, Berbice High School, Tutorial Academy and the Canje Secondary along with an Upper Corentyne institution and Rosignol Secondary School in Region Five.

The Coaches are Neil Humphrey, who is attached the Berbice High School, Brian Ralph – Canje Secondary, Colin Bowry-Vryman’s Erven, Sherwin Forde- Berbice Educational Institute, Philip Carrington – New Amsterdam Secondary, Randy Sears – Tutorial Academy while Michael DeSouza deals with the Upper Corentyne and Keith O’Jeer – Rosignol.

Over the weekend, Mr. Humphrey indicated that the players in his camp are both male and female in the under 13, 15 and 19 categories.

They are taught the rules and other fundamental aspects of the game in addition to skill and tactics training.

His team commenced training in May. Sessions are held at the Berbice High School auditorium and the All Saints Scotts School ground.

Humphrey indicated that the programme is the first of its kind for Berbice. It assists the schools in their physical education curriculum.

“It helps the students to be mentally fit, to focus more and to relate to their peers and the community as whole.”

Meanwhile, the football competition was launched a few weeks ago in Tucber Park, New Amsterdam. At that function, Secretary of the New York chapter Marcia Ross had handed over the necessary equipment including balls, nets, cones, whistles, bibs and other paraphernalia to the respective schools.

New Amsterdam Primary/Secondary School Football Foundation is sustained by the benevolence of both the public and private sectors.

NAPSS Football Foundation is the brainchild of Roger Alphonso who saw the need to give something back to his homeland.

---

---