Alpha United President calls for support as team prepare for gruelling assignment

Jul 13, 2014 Sports

Odinga Lumumba is the President of the Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United Football Club and he has often proclaimed his entity to be the best one locally. The players have endorsed Lumumba’s faith in them after defeating Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) playoff in Jamaica earlier this year.

Alpha President Odinga Lumumba (left) and Vice President Steve Ninvalle at yesterday’s briefing at Water Chris Hotel.

Now the local ball weavers are set compete for more prestigious accolades when they square off against USA team, Portland Timbers on August 5 followed by another encounter against a Honduran team on August 19. This much was disclosed to the media when Lumumba called a press conference at the Water Chris Hotel, Waterloo Street yesterday morning.
The tournament actually gets underway within 8 days and Lumumba said that the Alpha team is presently encamped and engaged in stiff preparations and train in the mornings and afternoons. He said that is team of administrators are still experimenting in order to arrive at the best component for the impending encounters.
The Alpha boss further said that his boys will be matched against teams out of Suriname and Trinidad along with a unit that comprises the best local players. Lumumba also hinted that the squad might go over to Suriname for a game instead of the Suriname team coming to Guyana. “We will see how it work out,” he said.
Addressing concerns of the players’ rustiness due to a prolonged period of inactivity, Lumumba said that he is hardly worried about that. He said that his players are hard at work and he does not envisage them being affected by the layoff. “We are preparing well and really there is no valid excuse for ill preparation,” said Lumumba.
Meanwhile, as he always does at these forums, Lumumba reissued a call for support from the corporate community. He said that too many times Guyanese expect the best from local athletes yet they fail to make the requisite input towards their development. “Development in any sport requires a lot of money; too many times Guyanese complain of poor returns of their sports teams yet fail to contribute tangibly towards the preparatory aspects of their development” bemoaned Lumumba. He said that even the acquisition of adequate training facilities are challenging.
“This is not only about playing football; it is about providing young Guyanese with the tools to enhance their potential and stay free of criminal activity,” Lumumba stressed.
Amidst such challenges, Lumumba singled out several individuals and entities that have rendered, and continue to render support to the players’ development. Among them are Head of the GDF, Mark Phillips, Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud, Superintendent of Police, Colin Boyce, administrators of the Georgetown Football Club, those of Survival Supermarket and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Frank Anthony.
He appealed for more broad based support while declaring, the support we seek does not embrace Lumumba’s development; it serves to support youth development.” He further said that the coaching staff are working assiduously towards the players’ development while a physiotherapist also supports the projections and objectives of Team Alpha.