GFF TD Ian Greenwood delves into plans for the development of the game

Mar 28, 2021 Sports

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By Franklin Wilson in the Dominican Republic, compliments of Secure Innovations & Concepts, Industrial Safety Supplies Inc., Fazia’s Motor Spares and GFF

Kaieteur News – As the future of Guyana’s football continues on a new pathway to development where there’s deliberate efforts to put in place the relevant infrastructure at every level on and off the field of play, Technical Director of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Ian Greenwood who has been tasked with the responsibility of on-field development apart from others, continues to share with Kaieteur Sport and its readers the plans he has in place to achieve the aforementioned.
Last week, Kaieteur Sport carried an article headlined, “Clear player pathway for domestic players on track for sustainable national team programme – TD Greenwood”, in which article, information on efforts to bridge the gap between local and overseas players and to increase the local player base on national teams and the programmes put (and being) in place to achieve same, were shared.
Greenwood also shared the GFF’s performance targets for the SMNT Head Coach, Márcio Máximo (2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar – Qualifiers and 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup).
Today, we expand on that conversation and hear Greenwood’s views on the next steps for the nation’s football development, as follows:
To continue to drive football development in Guyana the next steps consistent of these three vital components:1. M-FAP2.GFF Club Charter – accreditation programme 3.Sustainable and Consistent Competitions Calendar.
Two major football development programmes were announced in full at the 2020 GFF Congress (M-FAP, Club Charter).
Club Charter: The GFF Club Charter Programme is the GFF’s accreditation scheme open to all Regional Associations clubs. It aims to raise standards in the game through supporting the development of clubs and leagues. It also recognises and rewards commitment, quality, and achievement.
Club Charter Aims:* To drive club development and improve club structure at the Regional Association Level* To provide material support to clubs to support GFF Strategic Goals* To ensure qualified technical staff are working with our players at the appropriate level.* To support GFF application and acceptance into the Concacaf Coaching Convention.
Greenwood elaborates: ‘There are currently three categories in the first roll-out of the scheme. Regional Association clubs can apply to be accredited as either a category one, two or three club, each category is clearly defined upon the number of male & females senior and youth teams it has in place. There are also clear staffing guidelines covering technical, medical and operational requirements at each level. In 2021 when we can re-start football at the regional level there will be massive amounts of material support available to clubs who work towards the standards set out in the Club Charter document.
There is no closing date for applications to the scheme, and through our Regional Associations we would be providing guidance and assistance throughout the application and implementation process.’
M-FAP Programme: “M-FAP is a watershed moment for the development of football in Guyana and for the empowerment of our entire membership – it has the potential to transform the game forever. Members now can apply for funding from a ground-breaking initiative that mirrors FIFA’s own global funding mechanism”.
Under M-FAP, members of the GFF can access financial support in four key areas: administration and operations, equipment and materials, competitions and technical development, and infrastructure.
The aim of the initiative is to democratise funding from the FIFA Forward programme and to give members access to greater financial support, while retaining the power to tailor that support to their own specific needs.
GFF President Wayne Forde also weighed in on the historic M-FAP initiative: “In order to be a part of this pioneering funding programme, all members must adhere to strict rules and regulations to ensure the effective and efficient use of funds,” Forde said. “This will be closely monitored by the GFF throughout as part of our efforts to enhance the good governance of football around the country.”
Greenwood concluded by elaborating on ‘Sustainable and Consistent Competitions’:‘Once we are in position to safely return to football at the regional association level with the approval from the National Covid-19 Task-force we will be looking to aggressively implement competitions across the key development age groups in both genders. As a federation we have seen tremendous progress with all our national teams, our U-17 and U-20 Women’s teams are clear examples of that.
The men’s national team programme successes have been well documented with the Soualiga Cup Championship in 2017 and the historic qualification to the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2019. However, we are very conscious to the fact that sustainable competitions both at the regional and national levels are vital if we are to continue producing talented players, coaches, referees, and administrators.
With the combination of the M-FAP funding and the GFF Club Charter accreditation scheme we are confident that a sustainable domestic competition calendar at the key development age groups can be achieved. The GFF is actively looking to recruit a pro-active Competitions Director to drive and be accountable for the implementation of our Competition Calendar. To implement a robust talent development programme we need a vibrant and consistent approach to competition.’

 

 

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