Guyana can be assured DSFC will continue – CEO Dean

Aug 01, 2017 Sports

Management changes imminent

By Franklin Wilson

Following another successful Digicel Schools’ Football Championships (DSFC), which ended on Sunday night last at the Leonora Track And Field Facility, Guyana can be assured that the championships, the biggest at the school level in Guyana’s history, will continue.
This is the assurance given by Chief Executive Officer of Digicel, Gregory Dean who spoke with the media following the final which saw Chase Academy successfully retaining the title for the second year in a row with a 6-2 blanking of first timers to the final, Annai.
There would have been rumors that this is the final year for the competition but Dean dispelled those rumors stating that the tournament will continue but there will certainly be changes as regards the administration of the championship which would have been done by Digicel staff in the 7-year history of the competition.
”Just to be clear, there is no issue with us continuing with the tournament, I think we’ve been honest that we can’t do the tournament the way we’ve been doing it, we just don’t have the staff; staff doesn’t have the time to run the tournament the way it’s been running for the past seven years.
We just need to change the way we’ve been doing the tournament but we don’t have any issue with continuing the tournament.”
He underscored the fact that it would have been very challenging for his staff to be going into the various regions to run the tournament and still have their Digicel jobs to do.
”Regardless of what it is, we want to still do the tournament; it’s just that we have to do it differently. We can’t physically manage the tournament the way we’ve been managing it over the years.”
Dean also took the opportunity to give his take on this year’s competition and the final between Chase Academy and Annai.
”For me it was a very good final, if Annai had a stronger defence I think it would have been a much closer game. I think the level of skill that they have, especially the two brothers, who are very good players, is encouraging.”
Dean also offered the view that building and developing the talent that comes to the fore in the tournament is a challenge and should be looked at.
”As we keep doing the tournament, going to all the schools, if the schools can keep producing, whether its two or three players every year, I think it’s good. But of course the big question is how do you sustain it, how do you develop those players over time.
If we can get to the point where we identify those players and put them into some kind of programme and develop them over time, I think then that’s going to go well for Guyana.”