Singh wants to continue work as GABF President

Jan 09, 2014 Sports

– Presents impressive manifesto to stakeholders

By Edison Jefford
Against the background of resurrecting basketball corpse, President of the Colts Basketball Club and Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), Michael Singh wants the opportunity to continue his prolific work as President of the national federation.
Singh circulated an impressive manifesto, which among many other goals, takes aim at structural strengthening of the sport domestically through constitutional reform, grassroots programmes to develop the sport’s popularity, infrastructural development and international spotlight, which include hosting the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships next year.

Michael Singh

Singh hopes to bring his ability to mobilise funding and connect with the base of the sport to his leadership of the basketball fraternity nationally. Following the 2011 death of Colts Club Coach, Phillip George, Singh was unanimously thrust into the leadership of the Club where he has since propelled them to a top three berth among clubs in Georgetown.
“The rejuvenation and resuscitation of the game locally from the grassroots level, requires social, energetic and an on-the-ground (GABF) President,” Singh said in his manifesto, which was sent to basketball stakeholders Tuesday night ahead of Saturday’s AGM and Elections.
“I’m in this rebuilding process with you, bringing back basketball to where it’s supposed to be-a vibrant crowd-pulling game with lots of energetic fans. Do not ask what basketball can do for you, ask what you can do for the game,” he continued, urging the voting blocs to recognise what he called “an urgent dilemma to resuscitate” basketball.
The 35-year-old Singh is a combination of youth, experience and entrepreneurship. Singh played basketball at Saint Stanislaus College as a student and also at Colts Basketball Club in the guard position. He is the owner of Paladin Security Firm, which he started in 2008, after spending most of his professional life in the Security Sector. He is a successful businessman, who also has Gold Mining Operations in Guyana.
His impressive slate for Saturday’s election, which this newspaper has seen, also combines youth and professionalism along various sectors that include discipline, finance management, logistical management, officiating, marketing and public relations among others.
Following his election to the post of GABA President, Singh immediately swung into work with an invitation to the LABA for them to participate in a 3-on-3 Basketball Fun Day as an exchange programme between the two associations and fostering an amicable relationship.
With very little support from major local companies last year, Singh invested personal resources to ensure that his programme was completed. The result was basketball enjoyed one of its busiest years in recent times. Singh was able to complete an extensive League in the Division I and III level, a four-team playoff following the League, an exchange among the Surinamese Yellowbird team and the Phillip George Legacy Championship. He also participated in exchange programmes in Linden and the Inter-Ward Competition.
In his manifesto for the further development of the sport, Singh lobbied against the background of having literally hauled basketball back into consistent competition and literally being there for the sport when it struggled financially and publicly for support.
He intends to rebrand local basketball to represent a modern and international content, lobbying for support from global brands such as Under Armour and Molten. Singh said that he also intend to enact an aggressive, fun-filled and inclusive fun-raising initiative.
“We intend to engage corporate, religious and other members of civil society as a whole, partake in blood drives and other such initiatives. In this way, GABF will be a bit more involved with the public, rather than just sending sponsorship letters asking for financial support,” he said.
“We intend to issue scholarships to student-athletes; we’ll also source and select under privileged basketball players in need of text books, basketball gear and mentorship. The young ambassadors of the federation will in turn reciprocate in performance,” Singh continued.
He believes that “the new GABF President cannot be isolated to his desk; this isn’t a desk job but one of engaging the game and programs at the grassroots level,” he contended.
Among Singh’s short-term goals are building relationships with CBC, FIBA and the United States Diaspora and maintaining an open-line of communication with all stakeholders; it also includes two annual national tournaments; funding and development for the GBOC where new officials are identified, trained and provided the foundation for them to be FIBA Certified; one community-based national tournament; national 3-on-3 community-based outreach tournament; women inclusion in Division III basketball and women schools’ outreach; national schools home and away tournament; endorsement and affiliation of the Youth Basketball Guyana Organisation; comprehensive website development (guyanabasketball.com) featuring all basketball activity and a players’ national data base; GABF Shop where the sale of local merchandised basketball equipment will be available such as shoes and Under Armour gear; Masters League and an outreach programme where Division I Clubs will adopt schools.
His long-term goals include: ensuring activate and strong succession lines in every capacity of basketball, from the national teams to referees; a programme to train young basketball administrators; ensuring each sub-association has a programme and funding for an indoor basketball facility with effective lightning and other amenities; commencement of a basketball drive in all other administrative regions and areas; ensure other non-basketball type of revenue programmes such as fundraisers are done on a regular basis to maintain income; Guyana being able to reach the Basketball World Championships and the Olympics in eight years and possible semi-professional Leagues.