Latest update February 4th, 2025 9:06 AM
Corona Beer Beach Football to kick off Sunday in Linden
By Sean Devers
The first ever official Beach football competition kicks off on Sunday at the Bayrock Soccer Park in the mining Town of Linden with the opening ceremony and five matches from 16:00hrs.
GBFA President Rollin Tappin (left) and GFF President Wayne Forde (2nd right) with players and officials following the launch.
President of the Guyana Beach Football Association (GBFA) Rollin Tappin speaking at the launching of the Corona Beer National League at the Palm Court Bar in Main Street yesterday said that it was an important day in Guyana’s sports history.
Tappin disclosed that the GBFA was constituted on October 16, 2015 and its main objective was develop the game of Beach football in Guyana with an aim of eventually qualifying for the Beach football World Cup slated for July 2017 in the Bahamas.
Tappin, who hails from Region 10 is confident that if this version of the game gets the necessary support from all the stakeholders, Guyana’s Beach Soccer team could become the first football team to play in a World Cup.
Tappin has been involved in this format of football for the past six years and decided that Guyana has the main natural resource for Beach Football which is sand. “I think the time was right to take the sport to a new level,” the 41-year-old said.
Tappin commended the GFF executives, under new President Wayne Ford, for the hard work they are doing in only four months of existence and welcomed former Brazil Beach Football Coach Leo Braga to Guyana.
The Brazilian is here to Coach the newest version of football to the Guyanese players and initially 10 teams will be evenly divided in two groups of five with one representing Georgetown and the other representing East Bank.
The GBFA Head has developed a six-point development strategy in which he wants the Government, the GFF and Corporate Guyana to be involved. Tappin intends to set up high quality Coaching, focus on youth development; provide players with exposure to regular high quality overseas competition, to gain the support of the Media, capacity building and empowerment.
Tappin explained that the cost to see the games is $300.00 with half of that going back to the clubs which would help to generate funding for them. The winning team gets $200,000, second placed side collects $100,000, third place $75,000 and fourth place, $50,000.
Tappin stated that their Calendar of events for the year includes a clinic for schools in the Essequibo area which will kick-start the youth development programme. This programme will continue with clinics in Berbice and other parts of the country.
“In an effort to decentralise the sport we are starting a competition in Lethem on March 1. Guyana Football Federation President Wayne Forde pledged his full support for the League and informed that FIFA sends money for all three formats of football to Guyana.
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