Atkinson Brothers FC- promoting sports in Moruca

Jun 12, 2020 Sports

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By Zaheer Mohamed

Founded 10 years ago, the Atkinson Brothers Football Club (ABFC) have been at the forefront promoting sports in Moruca, Region One. The club was formed by five brothers from Moruca, who after playing football in Georgetown saw the need to promote sports in their home community.

So, after completing school in Moruca, the brothers – Marlon, Barry, Brian, Joseph and Michael had journeyed to the city to attend the Guyana Technical Institute (GTI). There they represented the institution at football, winning the Coca Cola Cup and also turned out for Thomas United FC. Playing in the city, they gained much exposure and their passion for the sport grew tremendously which prompted them to promote the sport back home.
Speaking with Kaieteur Sport recently, Marlon, Treasurer for the Club explained that they started to play the game at the age group level and represented their region, but their senior careers were cut short due to work commitments.
He said they wanted to give the youths in their community an opportunity to showcase their skills so that they can go places. “We learnt a lot from playing the game in Georgetown, after we graduated from GTI, we went back home and thought it best to organise tournaments, so we pooled our resources and subsequently the Atkinson Brothers Football Club was formed,” he pointed out.

To date the club has some 60 members including male and female seniors, U17 male and female, U15 male and U20 male teams. Among some of the young talented players at the club are Ronaldo Rodrigues (Guyana U15), Samara Rodrigues (Guyana U15 & 17), Henry Phillips, Mark Welcome and Ronald Harris.
The Atkinson Brothers 5-a-side tournament is held annually in the month of December since the formation of the club and Marlon informed that despite the Covid-19 pandemic which has brought the season to a standstill, they still remain positive that this year’s edition will be successfully held.
“This tournament is usually contested at the senior and junior levels in both male and female categories. The clubs here as well as those in other sub-regions do look forward to this competition so we have to remain positive.”
Moruca won the male football title at the 2019 Heritage Games and Marlon indicated that they are confident of successfully defending the title. “We are hoping that the season will resume in time for us to commence preparation for the tournament. We have a number of talented players who are raring to go, however we are hoping that the Covid-19 vanishes promptly.”
Marlon further stated that apart from the 5-a-side tournament which held in December, the club also stage other tournaments and render assistance to neighbouring clubs. Exposure to quality coaching remains a challenge for the youths there and he informed that they are in talks with the Moruca Sports Council to solicit assistance from the Guyana Football Federation to have qualified Coaches visit the area.
“We are also working to have coaching courses here so the teams can have their own coaches. I did a one week goalkeeping coaching course two years ago at Leonora so I work along with the players, but I am willing to enhance my ability in this field,” he posited.
Marlon explained that they are also looking at the possibility of having referees’ courses held there. “Whenever we have major tournaments we have to bring in referees from Georgetown which is very costly, the GFF did conduct a few sessions here and we would like to see follow up programmes which will benefit the club, in that we can use referees from our area.”
Acquiring sponsorship is another challenge faced by club and Marlon informed that they would host fund raising activities to overcome this hurdle. “We usually receive sponsorship from Peanut Speed Boat Service, Royo Speed Boat Service and Troy Abraham and family for which we are thankful. Sometimes we (brothers) pool our resources together,” he said, adding that he would like to see the Government, the GFF and other businesses chip in.
The club is also planning to embark on a four-day workshop for its junior players. “The players usually train four days during the week so we have to put systems in place for their continuous development.”
The club is being housed at the community ground and Marlon has expressed gratitude to the Village Council and Moruca Sub-District REO Renita Williams for their assistance in helping to maintain the facility. Other than football, the club organises cricket and volleyball.
Brothers, Bruce and Nico Vincent who both represented Essequibo at the U15 and 17 Inter County tournaments earlier this year, hail from Region One while their sister Annalisa Vincent is a national football and volleyball player.

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