GFF/Pele Alumni/Frank Watson Nationwide 2017/2018 Playoffs Santos and BV Triumph United to kick off action on Saturday

Jan 31, 2019 Sports

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By Franklin Wilson
The nationwide playoffs for the inaugural GFF/Pele Alumni/Frank Watson Intra Association Championship is set to kick off this Saturday at the Providence National Training Centre with a clash between Georgetown Football Association winners, Santos and East Demerara Football Association champs, BV Triumph United from 10:30hrs.
The fixtures and other information was released by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) yesterday when this segment of the championship, which will feature ten (10) champions, gets underway with the first of what is anticipated to be four days of pulsating rivalry.
Corriverton Lynx, the Berbice FA winners is the other team in Cluster One and they will face BV Triumph United in the second match on Saturday from 12:30hrs with the third and final clash of the day from 15:00hrs between Santos and Corriverton Lynx.
Matches in the qualifying stages of the playoffs would be of 70 minutes duration (two equal halves of 35 minutes).
Cluster Two play will get underway on Sunday at the same venue with East Bank Football Association winner; Timehri Panthers coming up against Eagles FC which won the West Demerara FA leg of the competition from 10:00hrs.
From 12:30hrs, taking to the field would be Eagles and Upper Demerara’s champions, Milerock FC with the final encounter of the day between Timehri Panthers and Milerock. The respective cluster winners following action on both days would advance to the Final Playoff which would be contested at the same venue on Saturday, February 16.

Cluster Three rivalry will take place at the Anna Regina Community Center Ground on Saturday February 9 when the top teams from the Essequibo/Pomeroon FA (Dartmouth Determinators) oppose Atkinson Brothers (Region #1) from 10:00hrs.
Atkinson Brothers would then throw down the gauntlet to Bartica FA’s Rising Stars FC from 12:30hrs, the last match of this round will see Dartmouth Determinators taking on Rising Stars.
At yesterday’s launch, Pele Alumni representative and former Club President, John Yates gave a background to the tournament and the person after who it was named, Frank Watson a pilot by profession; the first President of the club who was a stickler for discipline and empowerment of youths through education.
Unfortunately, Watson passed away in December 1973 as a result of a plane accident in Guyana’s interior. Yates who took over as president following Watsons demise, noted that the Pele Alumni, which is made up of about sixty (60) past Pele players in the Diaspora, felt the need to give back to Guyana’s football development thus the partnership with the GFF for this nationwide championship among youths which was contested at the Intra Association level.
“We also felt it important that we start at the bottom with the young people because the future of football in Guyana is our youths. We have to ensure that the discipline etc, takes place within the development process.”
Yates posited that the money craze in the sport around Guyana is creating problems: “The money will come, but the question is, you have to have the skills and the discipline to be able to follow rules and regulations that are established. This is what we are hoping will come out of this GFF/Pele Alumni U15 regional tournament.”
GFF youth Development Officer Brian Joseph shared details in relation to the tournament whilst disclosing that the second edition of the Intra Association League will get underway in February.
He informed that upwards of one hundred (100) U15 matches were contested in the various associations apart from other youth tournaments, indicating that the venue for three of the four days of the final competition was chosen given the positive impact it has had on players at every level since it was completed (playing surface).
The astro turf pitch Joseph noted is a huge plus for local players who will no longer be total strangers to such pitches in their overseas travel to represent Guyana as had obtained in the past.
TD Greenwood also extended gratitude to the Pele Alumni for its contribution to youth development by affording them the opportunity to be involved in structured programmes, be it football or education.
“I think it’s been a fantastic association between the two groups so far, so again we want to continue with this great partnership. Looking at what the intra association leagues offer, it gives players across the country a platform to develop to push towards our targets for our performance clocks.”

He alluded that by the time players reach the senior level they would have participated in 10,000 hours of deliberate practice; hours which are split between training and the playing environment which can only be realized once matches are played.
This he said would require at least 20 hours per week split across training with the club, playing matches, playing with schools as well as the individual work that they would do from time to time.
“But this can only happen if we have games, so this shows how important it is to have intra association games. This structure hasn’t been in place before on a national basis, so the first time its being developed on a national basis is a massive achievement.”
Greenwood pointed out that the inaugural league was not without its challenges as the Competitions Department struggled with certain challenges that were presented by the Regional Member Associations (RMA).
The major one pointed out was the unison of playing matches at the same times in Georgetown, Bartica, East Bank and the other RMA’s. Efforts he indicated would be made to align all the programmes for the 2019 edition.
“Looking at this weekend, it’s a great opportunity for the first cluster and over the few playing days, we have all the top under-15 players in the country participating on an ideal surface. Ultimately from a GFF point of view we are looking at talent identification of the top players that can come into our national team programmes.”
Technical officers would be observing the matches to ensure that the correct players move on to the academy structures.
“From a holistic view, GFF has its youth development programme which focuses on three main areas, area one is the grassroots programme, area two is the intra association leagues so we have the U15 league and the U17 at the moment. From these programmes they then move into the academy training center structure. The three key areas that we focus on youth development.”
The youth leagues this year would be running from February to May with June being the playoffs which will lead directly into international competitions.

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