Kaieteur Sport raps with GFF President Wayne Forde on the recent historic performance of the U-20 Lady Jags at the Concacaf Championship and the way forward

Mar 09, 2020 Sports

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KS: What does the performance of the U20 Lady Jags mean for GFF and Guyana?
Wayne Forde: Let me begin by first saying how delighted I am to once again offer on behalf of all of Guyana, Congratulations to the Players, Staff and members of the GFF International Support Group (ISG), on their history making performance.
Competing against the likes of Mexico and Haiti has elevated Guyana’s international profile for Women Football but more importantly, it provided a clear performance bench mark for the GFF Technical Staff both at home and abroad. We have been fortunate enough to experience firsthand, the quality of players we must develop over the next four years in order to surpass what we were able to accomplish over these past two weeks.
KS: What the investment would have been like for the GFF to prepare players in Guyana and Canada at the same time?
Wayne Forde: Preparing teams properly for international competitions is very challenging but I have made a firm commitment to never again enter Guyana into an international tournament – at any level unprepared. This campaign required an investment of approximately USD 45,000, which included travel and preparation.
The parents of the international players, the Coaching Staff and the members of the ISG contributed significant time and resources to the extensive preparatory work that went into the international players. Much of what we were able to achieve would not have been possible without them. We are very fortunate to have Mr. Paul Beresford and Coach Ivan Joseph volunteering their services for Guyana’s Football.
KS: As would have obtained in the past, we go play and when we return, that’s it; what systems would be put into place to ensure continuity of the programmes which would no doubt feed into the Senior Lady Jags scenario?
Wayne Forde: There are many well thought out National team strategies that I believe will allow the GFF to produce very competitive teams consistently. The only conditions that could limit our quest to become the #1 Football Nation in the Region in the next four years are; (1) The lack of quality infrastructure across Guyana, especially school grounds. (2) Depletion of the high caliber of Technical Staff within our employ and (3) lack of financial and other critical material resources.
My administration is doing all that we can within our power to mitigate these limiting conditions, for example; we have completed Guyana’s first international FIFA approved artificial turf where our local National teams are training on a daily basis. We have commenced the construction of the dorms which will facilitate frequent encampment of teams at a vastly reduced cost.
We have introduced the Academy Training Centre (ATC) programme which continues to deliver quality youth players to the National Team programme. Once we are able to maintain the institutional discipline that has produced the recent successes coupled with invaluable support of the Government and Corporate Guyana – the future of both the male and female programmes are secured.
KS: How proud are you at the GFF level of the Team’s performance, 7 wins and 2 losses in 9 outings; a historical one in nature?
Wayne Forde: I have to admit that success will always be a source of pride but beyond that, and perhaps more importantly, it is also a validation of the hard work, sacrifices and investment that have gone into the programme.
KS: With Haiti having a solid system in place for female development, what is the GFF contemplating to put in place to have more consistency when it comes to the female segment of the game?
Wayne Forde: The GFF is aiming to have more females playing football in 2020. We have a community based programme that will be coordinated through the Guyana National Women’s Football Association (GNWFA), a Club segment that will be coordinated by the Regional Member Associations, a primary and secondary school programme and an Elite Club Female programme that will be coordinated by the GFF.
We are actively securing the critical partnerships that will enable us to launch these programmes in the coming weeks and months.
The implementation of a sustainable National Female football programme is much bigger than the identification of talent – instead, it has more to do with equitable access to football, social/life skills development and women empowerment.
I would like to thank our sponsors/investment partners and the Government of Guyana for their continued support and investment in the lives of the many young Boys and Girls who are driven by the passion to play Football.

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