DDL and GFF officially formalise partnership

May 16, 2012 Sports

The occasion was straightforward, but yet important when Demerara

Acting GFF President Franklin Wilson (centre) signs the MOU in the presence of (from left) - GS Noel Adonis, DDL Sales Manager Alexis Langhorne, Sales Representative Almira Kassim and TD Jamal Shabazz yesterday.

Distillers Limited (DDL) and the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) officially formalised their partnership by the signing of an MOU, during a simple ceremony which was conducted yesterday, at the GFF Head Office in Section ‘K’ Campbellville.
In attendance were DDL Sales Manager Alexis Langhorne and Sales Representative Almira Kassim, while GFF’s delegation was led by Acting President Franklin Wilson, General Secretary Noel Adonis and Technical Director Jamal Shabazz.
Langhorne in her opening remarks spoke of how pleased the Company was to partner with the Federation for the hosting of the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers and international friendlies, adding that they are always looking for opportunities to support local sportsmen and women.
“This is an auspicious and proud moment not only for the ‘Golden Jaguars’, but for all Guyanese and the players have worked hard to raise the level of their performance which has brought them to this juncture. DDL through its Pepsi brand have always placed emphasis on sports and its development and signing the MOU today is testimony to the fact and in addition to providing financial assistance for the tournament, we will also be refuelling the players and officials with Gatorade and Diamond Mineral Water for the matches and encampment period,” Langhorne said.
In closing, Langhorne urged the general public to come out and support the ‘Jaguars’ in their quest for WC glory, adding that they look forward to working in the future with the GFF and the team and are confident that they will make Guyana proud.
Wilson reminded that the relationship between the two parties has been ongoing for quite sometime and the GFF was indeed grateful for the support over the years.
He called on other corporate entities to follow the lead taken by DDL since the campaign that the ‘Jaguars’ have embarked on is an expensive one and need the full support of many more businesses.
Meanwhile, in customary fashion, Shabazz came out slugging, insisting that because the success of the ‘Jaguars’ will not be only for the team, but rather all Guyana, it is necessary that more members of the business sector come on board from now and not wait until the team creates history.
He added that while DDL must be applauded for being there from the start, there is great need for many more to duplicate their act because the campaign is an expensive one that requires substantial financial resources.
“Players and coaches make a lot of sacrifices and many of them are not professional so they obviously need stipends to support their families,” Shabazz said.
The TD informed those present that the GFF is always looking for partners and commended DDL for coming on board up front, while advising those who are still undecided to join an alliance with the governing body since they are still welcomed.
“We need a lot of money, the journey is difficult and I want to thank the GFF for embarking on this move,” he stated.
He spoke of the two-tier system that the GFF has embraced which according to him has worked well so far, pointing out that only high level programmes have such luxury and Guyana is fortunate at the moment to have teams preparing for the WC qualifiers and the Parbo Bier competitions almost separately.
Shabazz said it is quite frustrating when the funding is scarce or at times unavailable and that is why the clarion call has been made for more businesses to come forward and back the GFF.
The team is scheduled to leave today for a game against Jamaica’s ‘Reggae Boyz’ on Friday, while they are also scheduled to go to Panama to face their national team in a closed door friendly and then leave for an undisclosed location for their final warm-up match.