GFF boss urges Moore and Jacobs to make their opportunity count

Jan 16, 2010 Sports

Leaves Guyana shortly for pre-season training with Carolina Railhawks

GFF President Colin Klass (right) presents an Adidas bag to Walter Moore.

By Franklin Wilson

President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Colin Klass has challenged Golden Jaguars defenders Walter Moore and Kester Jacobs to grab the opportunity of trying out with the North Carolina Railhawks count.
Klass was speaking with Moore at the GFF Head Office earlier this week. The veteran administrator who has been at the helm of the sport in Guyana for almost two-decades said many players have had the chance before and have not cashed.
“I would like on behalf of the federation to congratulate you on another opportunity and ensure that you make it count for you. But one of the key things that you cannot over emphasize is discipline which is not about behavior alone, it is a culture; what you do, when you do and how you do it. You need to treat your sport and opportunity like a professional business.”
Klass encouraged Moore to train and work hard since nothing good in life comes easy. Moore, an experienced campaigner who has just come off a productive season in the Trinidad and Tobago Pro League thanked the Federation and Garth Nelson for making yet another opportunity possible for him to cement a contract overseas and promised to make it count this time.
Klass, who is also a Vice President of the Caribbean Football Union said he is aware that playing in the USA will be more demanding for the players but if they have the correct discipline, their bodies will respond accordingly.
Nelson came for high praise from the GFF boss who said he has been committed to the task of securing contracts for Guyanese players overseas for many years and must be commended for so doing. This would be the second time that Moore who started playing the game from the tender age of 7 while livening in Suriname, is going to the US. Last year (March) he had a two-week stint with the Rochester Rhinos in New York.
This time around he will be travelling along with Jacobs and Brion Baker to the North Carolina Railhawks the same club Gregory Richardson plays with and has made an indelible impression since his arrival there. Ever since his debut as an Under-15 national player, Moore has never looked back and has donned national uniforms at the Under-17, 19, 20, 23 and senior levels. He has represented Guyana at every tournament including World Cup Qualifiers and was a prominent member of the Golden Jaguars which was the only regional team to have won all three of its group matches in the Digicel Caribbean Championship 2006/2007.
While in Trinidad and Tobago, Moore, who has proven himself as a proficient and reliable left back, played with Pro League sides North East Stars and Caledonia AIA. He also played with Leo Victor in Suriname.
Moore believes that this time there will be no turning back and is of the view that their exposure will pave the way for even more Guyanese to tap into the leagues in eth USA and further afield.
“I am happy that persons recognize that we have the talent and are willing to give us that opportunity to prove ourselves. It is now up to us to make this work for us. I am confident, I just came off a wonderful season in Trinidad with Caledonia finishing 3rd overall.”
Moore said he scored some critical goals for his side and ended the season with 5, the season before he ended with 12.
Twenty-two year old Kester Jacobs another left back hails from the village of Den Amstel on the West Coast of Demerara and started his playing days as a 15-year-old in midfield. He has represented Guyana at the Under-20, 23 and senior levels.
His talent was recognized by former GFF Technical Director Jamaal Shabazz in 2007 and he was invited to play with Caledonia AIA and has never looked back. This will be Jacobs’ first stint in the USA and he has said that he feels good about the opportunity of landing a contract in the USA Division One League.
“I am glad for the chance to make it on a bigger stage and want to assure you that I will make the best of it. This is something that I have been waiting for all my life and I will grab it with both hands.”
Jacobs has singled out Shabazz and Coach Bilaal Nantambu for the part they have played in shaping his career and him as an individual. He said that Nantambu encouraged him to stay put when he was contemplating at one time to quit the sport. “He {Nantambu} encouraged me to be positive and stay focused on the sport and I am very grateful to him for that.”
Pre-season training with the Railhawks will commence later this month. The club will be playing a newly formed League called the North American Soccer League (NASL) which no doubt will and has created openings for other players. Forward Randolph Jerome is set to return to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds along with Kevin Beaton while defender Sean Cameron has been training with the New York Red Bulls for the past three months.