2018 GFF Awards Ceremony and Dinner... Sherwyn Caesar and Tiandi Smith awarded male and female players of the year - Effervescent EBFA rightfully named association of the year

2018 GFF Awards Ceremony and Dinner… Sherwyn Caesar and Tiandi Smith awarded male and female players of the year – Effervescent EBFA rightfully named association of the year

May 13, 2018 Sports

The awardees pose with their accolades for a group photo at the conclusion of the ceremony on Friday night at Sleepin Hotel.

The current Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Executive Committee (Exco) led by President, Wayne Forde, successfully resuscitated the entity’s Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner with a grand affair on Friday evening at the Sleepin International Hotel and Casino on Church Street.
The awards ceremony had been dormant for nine years and after the hiatus, the 2018 edition; in the 116th year of the GFF, was well organised with melodious live steel pan music, a tassa band and a performance by local artiste Vanilla which all preceded a cocktail hour as the contributions of key stakeholders to the development of football in Guyana were recognized.
Guyana Defence Force Football Club’s (GDF FC) Sherwyn Caesar, the leading goal scorer in season two of the GFF Elite League, which his club won, was awarded Male Footballer of the Year.
Meanwhile, talented ‘Lady Jag’ Tiandi Smith, who captained Guyana’s under-17 girls during their CONCACAF Under-17 World Cup qualifying bid last august at the National Track and Field Center (NTFC) and has since moved on to be a key player in the senior ladies side, received the Female player of the year accolade.

Tiandi Smith, GFF female footballer of the year 2017, receiving her accolade from Wayne Forde.

Prodigies, Jelade Trim (female) of Kwakwani, along with Orville Daniels (male) of Rupununi were announced as the youth players of the year.
Officiating is an important facet of the game and the GFF recognized top referees Maurees Skeete (female) and Gladwyn Johnson (male), while the most outstanding assistant referees for the year 2017 were also awarded in Marineika Welcome (female) and Kevin Stephens (male).
Franklin Wilson, President of the East Bank Football Association (EBFA) which is the only association that has active programmes from the under-13 to senior levels, received the Member Association (MA) of the year accolade on behalf of his entity.
Former coach of the senior men’s team; the Golden Jaguars, Jamal Shabazz was recognized for being the most successful national team coach.
Among the other awardees were Gordon Braithwaithe who was bestowed with the Presidential Merit award and the Rupununi Football Association (RFA) that won the most improved MA of the year.
During the GFF President’s key address, he posited that with the 2018 FIFA World Cup just over a month away, it is very fitting that the current Exco have already began laying the building blocks for Guyana’s 2026 World Cup qualification campaign.
Forde explained that in order for Guyana to qualify for the next World Cup, “We need a national alliance of all stakeholders to invest the time and resources necessary to prepare the Nation’s team. We need each citizen, every business and every member of our fraternity, the Government of Guyana, (and) the international community to all come together to be part of the exciting journey.”
The football boss noted that the GFF will direct its investments towards eight key development pillars for the growth of the game. Those pillars are coaching education, ground & facilities, grassroots football, school football, club football, international matches, elite academy training centres and growing the football brand. (Calvin Chapman)

EBFA head, Franklin Wilson (right), receiving the award for most outstanding member association for the year 2017 from assistant director of sports, Brian Smith.